The Unknown Heir
by NerdGirlAlert
Summary: Hunith's had a secret she's kept from Merlin. A secret about his birth. But now, with Arthur attempting to make amends with a magical kingdom, that secret may come to light. Set in between s4 and s5. Rated T for paranoid author. Royal!Merlin AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a story I've had in mind for a while. If you guys like it I'll continue it. Keep in mind this is just the prologue. Enjoy!**

Hunith looked over at the cradle beside her bed. In it, was a little baby boy who had been born a mere twelve hours ago. Hunith's body still ached from delivering him. She remembered the birth so vividly.

"One more push," said the midwife. Pain seared through her body. There was a tug, and the baby greeted the world by crying.

"It's a boy," the midwife declared. She set the baby in Hunith's arms, and went gather some supplies from her satchel. Hunith looked at the little blessing snuggled up in her arms. The boy was her whole world now. He was also the reason she had left a life behind.

 _Seven moths ago_

"You're what?" Said the young Prince Balinor.

"Expecting a child," Hunith calmly replied. The two were standing just inside the prince's chambers.

"You're certain?" Balinor questioned again.

"No, I only said that to work you up," Hunith answered, "Yes, I'm certain!"

Balinor took a deep breath. "How far along?"

"Two months."

"And you're just now telling me?"

"Yes."

Balinor took another deep breath and went to sit at his desk. He was extremely stressed out. Hunith knew he would be. Kaeden would kill him, Hunith, and the baby if he found out.

Balinor and Kaeden were twins. Because Kaeden was born first, he would be the next king of Navenna and inherent their fathers dragonlord powers. At least, that's what the king and queen thought. Soon after they were born, an elder dragon had informed the king that, because the prince's were conceived at the same time, neither was older than the other. They would both receive the ancient gift. The dragon continued to explain that whichever prince had a son first, the son and his descendants would carry on the line of dragonlords.

The twins couldn't be more opposite of each other. Kaeden loved fighting and violence, and craved power. Balinor, on the other hand, loved gaining knowledge and preferred to settle matters peacefully. Both were aware that the first to have a son would continue the line. Kaeden had made it very clear to Balinor that _he_ would have a son first, no matter what.

A year before the Great Purge, Balinor began courting Hunith. During the Purge, the king died, along with many other dragonlords. Kaeden was crowned king.

And now, two years after the Purge had ended, here Hunith was, saying she was expecting a child.

 _Kaeden can't know,_ Balinor thought, _she can only hide it for so much longer before it's obvious. She needs to leave._

The prince looked up. "Hunith, you know I love you, but this baby..."

Hunith interrupted him. "I'm not going to force a miscarry."

"No! Goodness no, I wasn't suggesting that," Balinor said quickly, "I was saying that, maybe, until the it's born, you leave the castle."

"And then come back? You know that if I were to show up with your child on my hip we'd all die."

Balinor buried his head in his hands. He couldn't let her stay, that was for sure, but he couldn't let her stay in hiding until Kaeden was gone or the baby was old enough to defend himself. That is, _if_ the baby was a boy. If the child was a daughter instead of a son, Kaeden wouldn't care. That gave Balinor an idea.

"No matter what, you're leaving." Before Hunith could protest, he continued. "If the baby turns out to be a girl, you'll come back. If it's a boy, you stay put. I will make sure you have everything you need to live."

Hunith was quite for a moment. "I agree," she whispered, "I'll leave tonight."

Balinor stood and hugged her. He didn't known how he'd survive the next seven or so months, at the least, without her. He did know one thing though, Kaeden would not kill his family.

 **A/N: Next chapter will take place in between seasons 4 and 5. Please review, it would mean the world to me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I really appreciate all the positive feedback! I don't believe I said it last chapter, so I'll say it now: I don't own Merlin. Enjoy!**

* * *

Once again, Hunith looked into the cradle beside her bed. The boy was a while two days old now, and she was exhausted. _Who knew being a mother could take so much out of you?_ she mused to herself.

She had decided to name him Merlin because the black wisps of hair atop his head reminded her of the small hawk. She smiled as he stirred. Little Merlin opened his eye, and the smile disappeared, replaced by a look of shock. His eyes _glowing gold_. The boy made a small noise. Heat began radiating from the cradle and filled the small hut. Seconds later, Merlin closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The surge of heat faded.

"Goddess above," Hunith whispered, recovering slightly from her shock. Every mother insisted that her child was special, but Hunith could tell hers was more unique than most. Not many children could perform magic at just two days old.

* * *

 _Twenty-Three Years Later_

"Rise and shine!" The king's manservant called out, throwing open the curtains.

The king groaned and rolled over to face the window. The sun was barely peeking over the tree tops of the forest that surrounded Camelot.

" _Why_ are you waking me up so early?" King Arthur sleepily demanded.

"Because, _sire,_ you asked me to," the manservant answered as he set out the king's clothes, "something about a royal delegation from some place or another arriving to arrange an important treaty."

"Royal delegation?" Arthur muttered to himself. "Royal delegation!" Arthur shouted as he sat up. "The royal delegation from Navenna! They're arriving early this morning!"

The manservant shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder what you would do without me."

"Shut up, _Mer_ lin," said Arthur as he began getting dressed.

Merlin began setting out Arthur's breakfast. Out of curiosity, he asked, "what's this treaty about?"

"Establishing peace and trade between Camelot and Navenna," answered the king.

Merlin frowned. He'd never heard of that kingdom before. "Where is Navy?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. " _Navenna_ is a kingdom on the other side of Esstir. Things between it and Camelot have been quite... hostile since the Purge. It's a kingdom that allows magic you see...,"

"And this treaty is to make things less hostile?" Merlin interrupted.

"No, _Mer_ lin, this treaty is to establish terms of war between the two kingdoms," said the king sarcastically. It was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes.

"So who's all in this royal delegation? The king and his royal scribemaster, I'd assume," said the manservant.

"Not quite. The official scribemaster of Navenna, Yes, but not the king. He's sending his brother and eldest daughter instead."

"Brother and daughter?"

"Yes, _Mer_ lin, keep up. King Kaeden and Prince Balinor are twins. Balinor is the more politically minded of the two, so his brother sent him in his place, and because Kaeden has no sons, he is sending his eldest daughter, Princess Melaina," answered Arthur, walking to the table.

He had no sooner sat down to eat his breakfast when there was a knock on the door

"Enter!" Called out the king.

The door opened to reveal Sir Leon, Arthur's second in command. "The delegation has just arrived, sire."

"I'll be right down," replied the king. The knight nodded and closed the door.

Arthur let out a big sigh as he gazed at the meal set before him. "Do you want me to save your breakfast for later?" Merlin asked as innocently as possible.

"Shut up, Merlin."

* * *

Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and all the knights were gathered in the courtyard of the castle. Soon, eight horses trotted through the gates.

In the lead atop a brown mount was, who Merlin assumed to be, Prince Balinor. The manservant noted that he was around the late King Uthur's age. But, unlike the gray hair Uthur had, Balior's was as black as Merlin's.

To his right was the only lady in the group, so it had to be the Princess Melaina. Her hair was the color of her uncle's, and flowed freely down her back. With the same brown eyes and facial features as Balinor, one could mistake Melaina for his own daughter.

On the other side of the foreign Prince was and older man, who Merlin guessed to be the scribemaster. The remaining five horses carried knights dressed in Navenna's color of dark blue, with its crest of two dragons (light green and facing each other on a silver background) patched onto their capes near the right shoulder. The group dismounted, and Arthur stepped forward.

"Welcome to Camelot, Prince Balinor Ambrosius," the king announced in greeting.

"King Arthur Pendragon," said Balinor in reply, "I am honored that you have recieved us so graciously after everything that has happened between our two kingdoms." The two shook hands. Balinor indicated to the Princess behind him. "May I introduce my niece and eldest daughter to the king, Princess Melaina." Melaina stepped forward and Arthur kissed her hand.

"Welcome to Camelot, Princess." Arthur turned his attention back to Balinor. "I hope you had a pleasant journey here?"

"We ran into a group of bandits on the edge of Lot's kingdom, but other than that, we made good time," replied Balinor.

"I am glad to here that," said Arthur. He turned back to the Princess. "I will have a servant show you to your room." Melaina smiled and nodded, and Arthur looked back at Balinor. "And I will have my manservant show you to yours"

* * *

Merlin walked through the halls of Camelot carrying Balinor's luggage. The Prince followed right behind. So far, Merlin liked him. He seemed more down-to-earth compared to other royalty the manservant had met. As they turned a corner, Balinor spoke.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Merlin," the manservant answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Merlin."

"And you as well, sire."

They walked a little further, and then the Prince spoke again. "Tell me Merlin, how long have you been King Arthur's manservant?"

"Since I came to Camelot about eight years ago," Merlin answered.

"You didn't grow up here?" Questioned Balinor, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"No, I grew up in a small village in Esstir."

"What brought you from there to Camelot?" Asked the Prince, slightly confused.

"My mother," Merlin answered with a smile, "she wanted me to have a chance for a better life. There's not much in a small outlying village."

Balinor smiled too. "I suppose not, no."

Merlin stopped in front of a door. "This would be your room, Prince Balinor."

"Thank you, Merlin," said the Prince as he walked in.

The manservant set the luggage he was carrying down just inside the door, and left to finish his daily chores from Arthur. Today was one of those few days when he had less than normal. If he finished them soon, he would have practically the whole day off. That is, until evening when the prat would need his help getting ready for the arrival feast. But that was still _hours_ away...

* * *

Balinor sat on the edge of his bed staring at the wall, deep in thought. Late yesterday afternoon, he and the rest of the delegation had passed through a small village in Lot's kingdom, near the Camelot border.

There wasn't much there. A handful of houses, a couple of fields, and about sixty inhabitants. None of them really stood out in his mind, save one woman. A woman he hadn't seen for 23 years. A woman who he had lost contact with. A woman he missed every day of his life since she left. He knew it was her. Even dressed in peasant clothing with dirt on her apron, Balinor knew it was Hunith.

Their eyes had met for a brief moment. Those precious few seconds were enough to assure him beyond doubt that it was her, and that she was hanging in there.

Balinor was was dying to hold her in his arms again, to meet the son she had left Navenna to keep safe. He knew it was a boy. She would have come home if it was a girl. Balinor wondered what she named him and what he looked like. Of course, he couldn't just walk up to her, and ask her these things. There were too many people around, and what kind of a peasant woman was on a _talking_ basis with a _Prince?_

Balinor sighed and leaned up against the headboard. Why did she have to come back into his life _now?_ He knew he'd be thinking about her and their son almost non-stop, and he needed to be able to focus on the treaty over the next few days.

Thinking about her now made Balinor remember; Hunith _did_ have relatives in Camelot. Well, _a_ relative. Surely, her Uncle Gaius was still the Court Physician. He and Hunith had always been close. If anybody knew anything about the boy, it would be Gaius.

Balinor stood up and walked out door. If he could get a few of his questions answered, maybe that would satisfy his mind for the time being. Coming down the hall was a maid. He called out to her.

"Maid!" She looked up. "Is Gaius still Court Physician?" The maid nodded, and Balinor headed towards the physician's quarters. He didn't need to ask directions. During their younger years, Kaeden and Balinor had spent a lot of time in Camelot with a young Prince Uthur, who had been one of their closest friends.

 _The backstabbing bastard,_ though Balinor as he came to Gaius's door. He took a deep breath and knocked. Somehow or another, he would get his answers.

 **A/N: Review? They really make my day**.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the positive feedback this fic has gotten! It really means a lot! A special thanks to all of you who've reviewed, reading them really makes day. Anyways... I still don't own Merlin, here's chapter 3. Enjoy!**

* * *

Gaius was in the middle of preparing a pain reliever for one of the younger knights who had broken his wrist. The physician went to grab some yarrow from his supplies to add to the mixture. He realized that he only had enough of the flowered plant to make one or two -if he was lucky- more doses of pain medicine. _I'll have to send Merlin out for more soon_ , the old man though to himself.

As he added the yarrow, there was a knock at the door. "Enter!" The physician called out. The door opened. Perhaps the young knight had grown impatient and came to get his medicine. Gaius turned to see who it was.

When he saw the man standing in the door way, his first though was _Merlin attempted the aging spell again, didn't he?_ But Gaius quickly realized; that was _not_ his ward, even though he looked very similar to him. Merlin's eyes were a brilliant blue, and always stood out. This man's eyes were a warm brown. Gaius smiled. There was only one man that he could be.

"Balinor! What brings you here?"

Balinor smiled in return. "Hello, Gaius. It's been a while."

"It has," the physician agreed. "I hear your in Camelot to arrange a treaty?"

"I am." Balinor stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Kaeden sent me in his place, and tasked me with making sure it was written the way he wants. As you know, my dear brother is all about power, and what better way to gain more than allying with the only kingdom equivalent in strength?"

Gaius studied the man before him. "You don't agree with that, do you?"

"No, I do," said Balinor, "I am all for a treaty with Camelot. I don't believe the treaty should be centered around securing a powerful ally for times of war. It should be focused on peace nd trade between our people."

Gaius raised his eyebrow at the Prince and turned back to the pain medicine. "Something tells me this treaty will end up the way you want it rather than how Kaeden thinks it should go." The physician turned his head to Balinor, who was now sitting on the table bench. The Prince gave Gaius a slightly mischievous smile... a smile identical to the one his ward often gave him. Gaius felt a twinge of sympathy for him. _If Hunith's letters are true, he doesn't know._

Gaius must have been staring at Balinor weirdly, because the Prince asked "what's that look for?"

Gaius shook his head. "Oh, nothing. You just remind me of one of the more troublesome servants."

Balinor chuckled. "Well, enough of politics and greetings. I came to ask you some questions."

"Did you, now?" The physician had a feeling he knew what they were about.

The Prince took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought. "Have you heard from Hunith recently?"

Gaius grabbed a bottle from one of his many shelves. "She and I have corresponded a time or two over the years, yes."

"Did..." Balinor hesitated. He couldn't bring himself to ask about the boy before he asked about Hunith. "Did she ever tell you _why_ she didn't keep in contact with me?" Balinor asked in a near whisper. The physician looked at him. His soft eyes, which were full of knowledge, and lit up with hope that he would know the answer, were trained on the old man. Gaius knew he had to be careful how he answered this.

"She was very... vague on the matter." The hope in his eyes dimmed. Gaius could tell that after all these years, losing her still bothered him greatly. "Why don't you tell me what happened when she left, and I'll fill in what I can." At that, some of the energy returned to those eyes.

Balinor took another deep breath, and began speaking. "The night she left Navenna Castle, she headed for Laedon, one of the outlying villages. It was the perfect spot. Patrols rarely ever passed through there, and she would be unrecognizable to the people. It was close enough to the castle- just half a day's ride -so if I needed to, I could get to her, but far enough she would be out of Kaeden's reach. Our cover story for her absence would be that she was on the other side of the kingdom visiting Adlynn, her closest friend, who had just given birth.

"Hunith promised to write a letter as soon as she was settled. Three days later, it came, saying she would be comfortable for the next seven months until the baby was born. That was the last I heard from her." The Prince was silent for a moment. Staring at the floor, he continued.

"I didn't like the silence. I knew she wouldn't intentionally ignore me. Three weeks after the letter, I managed to slip out of the castle and traveled to Laedon to see her. I wanted to make sure everything was ok. When I got there, I asked one of the women of the village where I could find her, but she said Hunith had disappeared a little over two weeks ago." Finished with his story, Balinor look at Gaius. "Perhaps you can tell me what happened after that?"

The physician, who had just finished the pain medicine, walked over to one of his chests. "Better yet," he said, "I can show you." Out of the large chest, Gaius pulled out a much smaller one. Opening it, he revealed a collection of papers of varying sizes: old letters. Selecting one from the top of the pile, the old man walked to the table where Balinor was and sat across from him.

"Here," said Gaius, handing the Prince the letter.

Balinor took it and began reading out loud. "Dearest Gaius, I hope this letter finds you well. I have great news to share; I am expecting a child, who will be born any day now! Unfortunately, because of this, I had to leave Navenna. Kaeden's men found me in the village where I was staying. I knew I had to leave. They pursued me for over three days. They only gave up when I crossed in to Esstir. I would hate to be them. I can only imagine how Kaeden will react when he finds out a woman near three months pregnant slipped through their fingers!

"I was on my way to come see you, and perhaps stay until the child was born, but I'm now too far along in my pregnancy to travel. This baby will be born within the month. For now, I will be staying in Esstir, in a small outlying village called Ealdor. The people here welcomed me with open arms, and the headman's wife insisted I stay until the baby was born. The headman offered to let me live in a small hut that nobody uses anymore. It's very warm and cozy. I think I am going to raise my child here.

"I would write to Balinor, to let him know where I am, but I can't. I can't risk having a letter about my whereabouts fall into Kaeden's hands. I know it's a slim chance, but it is possible. I think that's how he found me the first time, by reading the letter I sent to Bal. Who knows what that crazy man would do? No, for now, I will stay here in secret.

"I hope to see you soon! With love, Hunith." Balinor stared at the letter. _I can't believe he found her,_ he thought. Balinor looked up at Gaius. "Did she ever write about the child?"

"She did, yes," answered the physician. "In fact, a little more than eight years ago, she sent him here to be my ward."

Balinor perked up at that. "He is here? In the castle?"

Gaius smiled. "Yes, he is. Hunith sent him to me in hopes that I could help him control his magic.

"He has magic?" The Prince asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Yes, he does. Some of the most powerful I've ever seen," the physician said, "gets him into trouble more often than not, if you ask me,"

Balinor could hardly contains his excitement. His son, who he had waited 26 years to meet was here in Camelot, in the very same building as him, and was Gaius's ward. "What's his name? What does he look like?"

Gaius smiled again. "He looks almost _exactly_ like you did at his age, the only difference being his eyes. His are a brilliant blue as opposed to your Brown ones, and his name is.."

The door to the physician's quarters opened, cutting Gaius off mid-sentence. In walked Merlin. Gaius quickly glanced at Balinor, who look slightly annoyed at being left in suspense, and then addressed the raven-haired boy.

"Merlin! I'm glad you're here!" The physician grabbed the bottle of pain medicine he made earlier, and held it out to him. "I need you to take this to Sir Kay before you help Arthur prepare for tonight"

Merlin looked at Gaius suspiciously. It wasn't like the old man to push him out the door like that. He noticed that the visiting Prince was seated at the table. _Must be discussing important stuff,_ mused the man servant as he took the bottle and left. He'd have to ask Gaius about it later.

As the door closed behind Merlin, Gaius looked back at Balinor. "That was the servant who showed me to my rooms." CCommented the Prince.

"You've already met Merlin?" Asked Gaius, slightly surprised.

"Why are you surprised at that?" Replied a confused Balinor.

"Because Merlin is my ward."

* * *

 **A/N: Please review! (Reviews= more motivation = next chapter coming out sooner)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Thanks to all of you wonderful people who followed, favorited, and reviewed! This was a more difficult chapter to write, so I hope you all like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

" _Because Merlin is my ward"_

Balinor stared at Gaius, a multitude of thoughts and emotions swirling through him as he comprehended what the old man had just said.

"He...your ward... _Merlin_...What?" Stammered the Prince.

"The young man who just walked out that door is my ward. His name is Merlin, and he is your son," Gaius slowly explained.

Balinor shot the physician a look."I'm not a dimwit, you know.

Gaius raised an eyebrow. "With the way you were struggling to form a sentence, one could think differently."

Balinor glared at Gaius. His look was so much like the way Merlin looked at him when he was annoyed, the old man couldn't help but chuckle as he turned to start cleaning his work station.

The Prince let out an impatient breath as he stood. Sometimes the old man could get on his nerves. "When he was showing me to my rooms, we had a small conversation."

"Oh, that doesn't surprise me," said Gaius, "he's quite friendly."

Balinor smiled. "He said his mother sent him here for a chance at a better life."

Gaius nodded. "She did. Mostly, he was sent here so I could help him control his magic. His is quite powerful?"

"Powerful, as in more so than the average dragonlord?" Asked the Prince. Dragonlords tended to have limited magical abilities, some more than others.

Gaius looked up from his work station, and directly into Balinor's eyes. "In all my years, I've never seen anything like it, not even from the druids."

Balinor gave the old man a questioning look. "How so?"

Memories of his wards extraordinary talent filled the physician's head. The one that stuck out the most was when Merlin had first displayed such strength; his run-in with Nimueh.

"With in the first year of him being here, not only did he best a high priestess of the old religion in a magical duel, but on his first attempt, instinctively manipulated the forces of life and death, and exchanged her life for that of a fallen friend."

Balinor stared at Gaius. Manipulate the powers of life and death? That was impossible for someone without years and _years_ of training. As much as he wanted his son to be a powerful magic user, it was extremely unlikely.

"Who was the priestess?" He asked.

"Nimueh," the physician answered.

" _Nimueh?"_

"Yes, Nimueh."

"Who was the friend?"

"That would be me," Gaius replied.

The Prince's jaw dropped in surprise. He immediately closed his mouth, speechless. Besting Nimueh? That was not something the old man would make up. He decided to believe him. But, Gaius was apparently just getting warmed up.

"Do you remember reading about Cornelius Sigan?" He asked. Balinor nodded. "Merlin also managed to defeat him when his spirit was released, and locked him back in the soul-gem he came from.

"He has met Taliesin, visited the Crystal Cave, and has been fortunate enough to glimpse the future.

"He has ventured to the Perilous Lands, met the Fisher King, received a gift from him, and helped him to finally die.

"And not to mention his assisting Arthur in regaining Camelot from Morgause. He's the reason the seven of them were able to take out her immoral army that was five-thousand strong."

Balinor stared at Gaius. " _Merlin_ did all of that?"

"All of that, and more," answered the physician.

"You taught him how to do it all?"

"Oh, goodness no. I merely gave him an old spell book and advised him. It's all raw natural talent."

"So he's not just a future dragonlord, but a _warlock_ as well. A damn good one, too, if even half of what you say is true."

Gaius's heart swelled with pride at the praise for his ward. He always knew Balinor would be proud of the young man he had become.

"Although," said the physician, "I'm not the only one who advises Merlin."

"Who else?" Questioned the Prince.

"An old friend of your below the castle has taken a _special_ interest in him."

Balinor's mouth turned into a sad smile. "Kilgharra." Gaius nodded. The Prince shook his head. "That overgrown lizard has always loved being involved with all the interesting happenings around him." _a future dragonlord with incredible powers falls into that category,_ he thought to himself

"I believe there is a reason your son has the powers he does," said Gaius, "a reason the Dragon most certainly is fully aware of. I encourage you to ask him about it."

Balinor sighed. "I'm sure he does. I do mean to visit him, though." _I hope he's forgiven me for turning him over to Uthur._

 _"_ I find it strange Kaeden hasn't come, magic blazing, demanding that he be released," mused Gaius.

"Kaeden doesn't know he's in Camelot," said Balinor, staring at the ground.

Gaius shook his head as he looked out the window. The sun had reached its high point in the sky.

"You probably have more pressing matters," he said, "but I would be glad if you joined me for lunch."

Balinor smiled again. "I would be honored to."

* * *

Merlin weaved his way through the halls of the castle. He had just finished bringing Sir Kay his pain medicine. The manservant felt bad for the young knight. The very day after he had received his title, Kay had slipped in training and broke his wrist, putting him out of action for a few weeks.

Gaius had told Merlin to go get Arthur ready for the welcoming feast. Merlin felt he did that only to get him out of the room. Most likely, it was an important matter between Gaius and the Prince. It was hours until the feast started. Instead, he had brought Arthur his lunch. The king was busy preparing stuff for the treaty, so he didn't even notice when Merlin had brought him food.

Merlin hoped Gaius and Balinor were done talking. It was nearly lunch time and he was hungry. He and Gaius always tired to take meals together. The manservant began making his way back the physician quarters. As he was about to turn a corner, he heard a voice behind him.

"Excuse me?"

Merlin turned to see who had spoke. It was a young lady with long black hair. She was wearing a light blue dress. It took him a moment to realize it was the visiting Princess, Melaina.

Glancing around the corridor, he noticed there was nobody else around. She must have been talking to him.

"Uh, yes?"

She smiled. "I'm sorry to bother you, but by chance, have you seen my uncle anywhere?"

 _Uncle?_ Merlin thought. _Prince Balinor!_ "He was talking with the court physician, I believe."

Melaina raised a delicate eyebrow. "You believe?"

Merlin rushed to answers. "Well, last I saw him. But that was half an hour ago."

"Where they talking in the physician's quarters?"

Merlin nodded.

"Could you tell me where that is?"

"I can show you. I'm headed that way myself," said Merlin. Melaina motioned for him to lead the way, and he continued down the corridor. The walked in a comfortable silence for a while, until the princesses broke it.

"You are King Arthur's manservant," she stated.

"I am, yes," said Merlin.

"Tell me, what's he like?"

The corners of the manservant's mouth twitched. "Would you like my honest opinion, or what I'm paid to say?"

Melaina let out a small laugh. "You're bold, for a servant."

"And not many Princesses talk to the castle serving staff," Merlin retorted.

"My uncle always tells me to treat those below me with the same respect they give me."

"I'm guessing that's why he insisted on conversing with me earlier?"

"That's exactly why," Melaina said with a smile.

"Is your father like that, too?"

The princesses stiffened at the mention of Navenna's King. "No, he's not," she answered simply.

"Oh," was all Merlin said.

"You never answered my original question," said Melaina, steering the conversation back on track.

"What was it again?" Asked the manservant.

"What's King Arthur really like?"

Merlin thought about that for a second. "He cares tremendously for his people. He's always looking out for their well-being. He believes nobility is not defined by who you are, but what you do. In fact, almost all the knights who are close to him grew up as peasants and his wife was the daughter of a blacksmith."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Of course, he's also a complete prat who can barely dress himself."

The princesses laughed. "Would that be your opinion, or something you're paid to say?"

Merlin grinned. "All that matters is that it's true."

Melaina looked at him, her face lit up with a smile, but them she froze in her tracks and her breath caught in her throat.

A look of concern passed over the manservant's face. "Are you okay?"

Melaina just continued to stare at his face. _He looks just like my father,_ she thought to herself. _No, that's not possible._ She pushed that thought aside. Melaina was about to reply, but she looked at his face again. The concerned look that was there made her realize, this servant before her did not look like her father, but identical to his brother, her Uncle Balinor.

"I'm fine," she managed to spit out.

"Are you sure?" Asked Merlin.

"Yes," said the princess in a near whisper.

"...okay," said Merlin, not at all convinced.

The two continued on their way. _He can't be,_ thought Melaina. _But he's the right age,_ she argued back to herself.

Melaina had always been pushed aside by her father. She wasn't a son, so she didn't matter to Kaeden. Balinor had always been the one who looked after her. Yes, Melaina had nurses, and when she got older maids, but she had never liked any of them. Her uncle was the one teaching her history, how to read and write, and telling her tales of dragons.

He often told her of Hunith, the woman he loved, who had disappeared all those years ago. Balinor always said she left to get away from Kaeden. She didn't blame her, she had no love for her father. But, to be honest, she never understood why she wanted to get away from Kaeden.

It wasn't until around four years ago around her eighteenth birthday, that she had asked _why_ Hunith had left. Her uncle had been hesitant to answer, but he eventually told her it was because she was expecting a child, who was most likely a son. Melaina now understood completely.

After all she had heard about her uncle's run-away love, Melaina knew she had left three years before her birth, making Balinor's son, her cousin, that much older than her. The servant leading the way through the castle was definitely the right age.

 _He lives in Camelot, there's no way it's him,_ she attempted to reason. _Hunith disappeared, though, there's no telling where she went,_ The other part of her conscience retorted.

Merlin glanced over his shoulder at Melaina. She had a look of concentration on her face, and appeared to be deep in thought. He was a little confused just by looking at him, she had gone from laughing and smiling to that. Was it something he had said? Merlin pushed that confusion aside as he turned one last corner. At the end of the hall was the physician's quarters.

"Princess?" He said, unknowingly interrupting her mental argument, "we're here," he said as they stopped in front of the door.

* * *

Gaius and Balinor were seated at the physician's table, eating a hearty bowl of stew. Gaius had put it on early that morning so it'd be ready by lunch.

"I'm surprised Merlin hasn't shown up yet," mused the old man.

"Whys that?" Asked the Prince in between spoonfuls.

"He often eats lunch with me. My guess is that's what he came for earlier, but I sent him away."

Balinor chuckled. "So he'll be back soon?"

"I'm assuming," said the physician. He knew Balinor wanted to see Merlin, and officially meet his son.

As if on cue, the door opened, and in walked the raven-haired boy. Balinor saw who entered and stood to go great him. _Finally,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

 **A/N: There's chapter 4 for ya. Hope you liked it! Please review, they mean the world to me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am sooo sorry about how late this is. This unfortunate thing known as reality got in the way, so I barely had any free time. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait! I ran into _a lot_ of writes block with it. As usual, I don't own Merlin. Enjoy!**

* * *

The delicious aroma of hot stew greeted Merlin as he opened Gaius's door. He hadn't realized how hungry he'd been! As he stepped into the room, Balinor, who was previously seated at the table, rose.

The foreign Prince was staring at the manservant, analyzing him from head to toe. It was making Merlin just a _little_ bit uncomfortable. Behind him, Melaina walked into the room. Balinor's gaze shifted to her.

"Melaina?" He asked, slightly confused, "what are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," she replied as she walked across the room towards him.

"And why did you need to find me?"

"Because I needed to talk to you," she answered, as if it should be obvious.

"And you couldn't wait until later?"

"No," said Melaina.

During this small exchange, Merlin had walked over to Gaius. The physician, knowing his ward, had stood upon his arrival and walked over to the pot to dish him up some stew.

"Smells wonderful," Merlin commented as he took the bowl offered to him.

"I should hope so," said Gaius, "I was up at first light to prepare it."

Merlin looked from his bowl to the old man. "No you weren't. _I_ was up about an hour _after_ The sun came up, and you were still snoring in your cot when I left."

Gaius raised an eyebrow. "I still was up early to make it."

The manservant smiled as he ate a spoonful. "No earlier than usual." He looked over in the direction of the table, where Balinor and Melaina stood, their conversation now in hushed tones.

"Then pray tell Melaina, what is this important matter," asked Balinor. He knew his niece was a strong and independent young woman, but that didn't stop her from being over-dramatic.

"I heard a voice," replied the princess.

"A voice?" Questioned Balinor. _Yes,_ he thought, _we_ are _being over-dramatic today._

"In my head," she continued.

"What did this voice say?" Said Balinor. Even though they couldn't hear the conversation, he turned his niece away from Merlin and Gaius to give them a little more privacy.

"Well," Melaina began, "It started off just saying my name. I tried to ignore it, but it kept at it, saying it over and over. It then said that 'it had been a while since an Ambrosius had come to Camelot', and that you would know where to find him."

" _I_ would know where to find him?" The princesses nodded her head. "Did the voice say anything else?"

"No," said Melaina. "Do you know who, _or what,_ it is?"

Balinor studied her face. He knew she was telling the truth. She would never make up that kind of stuff. He could also tell she wasn't being as dramatic as he first thought. As for who the voice belonged to, he had a few ideas.

The druids were always capable of mind-speech. It was one of the qualities they looked for in their children. But he highly doubted that any would be near enough to the castle to contact Melaina. Even if one was, it would make no sense either. No, it was definitely not a druid.

It could possibly be another magic user in Camelot, but that was even more so unlikely than his first guess. After all, how many common folk knew the royalty of Navenna? Who else, then, would take interest in Melaina?

Suddenly, Balinor remembered something Gaius had told him earlier. _"An old friend of yours below the castle has taken a special interest in him."_ What's to say the overgrown lizard wouldn't take interest in Melaina as well? Balinor's face darkened slightly at the though.

"What did the voice sound like?" He asked.

"Deep, and... old." Replied the princess, "definitely male."

Balinor let out a small breath. "I know exactly who that is."

"Who?"

"Later," said Balinor, "but I have important matters to discuss with Gaius. Is it possible you could return to your quarters?"

Melaina was taken aback by the request. "Pardon?"

"Melaina, please. I will come talk to you soon."

"But,"

"Melaina, now."

With a huff and her chin held high, the Princess of Navenna left the physician's quarters.

Balinor turned back towards the other two people in the room. Both Merlin and Gaius were still standing by the stew pot.

"How can you already be out of yarrow?" Merlin asked Gaius, "I refilled your stock no more than two weeks ago."

Gaius shrugged. "There have been a lot more injuries of late."

"Well, if the knights keep insisting on getting hurt, _they_ should be the ones collecting the herbs for their medicines, not me," retorted the manservant.

Gaius shook his head. "You can be the one to explain to Arthur that his knights aren't healing fast enough, due to the fact that you refuse to collect some herbs."

"Well, if they were trained properly, they wouldn't be getting injured in the first place. So really, this is all his fault."

The physician gave his ward his famous eyebrow raise. "You can be the one to tell Arthur that, too."

"He's not always open to the truth. I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Over at the table, Balinor was smiling. It was quite obvious that Merlin had little respect for the Royalty of Camelot. He found it quite ironic, seeing as the manservant was actually royalty himself.

Gaius took a deep breath. "So do tell me, Merlin, what happens when a knight gets severely injured and I can't heal him because I don't have the proper ingredients to make a remedy?"

"Send a different servant to fetch them?"

Staring his ward down, the old man grabbed the herb basket from a nearby shelf. "Feverfew, dogwood bark, and _plenty_ of yarrow." With that, he shoved the basket into the young man's hands.

Merlin downed the rest of the stew in his bowl, and turned to leave without further argument. As he made his way to the door, Balinor caught the old man's eyes, silently asking why he was sending Merlin away again. Hadn't they decided to tell him? Gaius, suddenly being reminded of the Price, called to before the manservant could close the door all the way.

"Merlin! Wait!"

Merlin poked his head back into the room, eyebrows raised in question. "Forget about the herbs for now, I need to talk to you about an important matter."

Merlin slightly tilted his head to the side. _What could be more important than the herbs he apparently has dire need for?_ he wondered to himself.

"It's about your mother," said the physician. Now _that_ caught the manservant's attention. Merlin opened the door wider and stepped back into the room, concern pulsing through his system. His thoughts were filled with panic.

Was his mother sick? Injured? In trouble? Had the village been raided? Would he be able to help at all? Could he even make it in time to help? Would magic hurt or help the situation? What spells would he need? Mentally preparing himself for the worst, Merlin sat down at the table, Gaius and Prince Balinor opposite of him.

Gaius could tell he'd worked up his ward. "She is safe and health, nothing is wrong with her," he said to ease the young man's mind. The panic disappeared from Merlin's face, but the concern was still there.

"Has something happened to Ealdor?" Asked Merlin, hoping that if is mother was safe, his home village would be too.

"Ealdor and everyone in her is sound," reassured Gaius, "I just wish to discuss your mother and her side of your family. Tell me, how much do you know?"

It was Merlin's turn to raise an eyebrow. " _This_ is the important matter you wish to discuss?"

"Humor me."

Merlin thought for a second. He knew barely anything about his mother's family. In fact, he knew even less about his father and _that_ side of his family. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke up.

"I know you are her uncle, and that she learned her knowledge of Medicine from you."

Gaius nodded once. "Anything else?" The raven-haired boy shook his head.

The physician frowned slightly. Yes, he had guessed that that was all Merlin knew, but he was still a little disappointed in his wards knowledge.

"Very well then," said Gaius, "I will give you a brief history."

Merlin took that as his cue to get comfortable; they would be here a while.

"I was the oldest of five siblings," began the old man, "your grandmother, Adina, was the youngest. She and her husband Ritcard had four children. Three boys, and one girl, the girl being your mother, Hunith, and she was the youngest as well.

"Adina and Ritcard were merchants. _Extremely wealthy_ merchants. By the time their first child was born, they owned a small fleet of ships. They were so wealthy, that they were apart of the noble class."

Merlin, who had been looking at Gaius as he spoke with interest, now stared in disbelief. "Nobility?"

"Yes nobility. They owned a large amount of land, and all three of your Uncles became knights."

Merlin studied the old man's face. His mentor had told him some pretty far-fetched things, but this trumped them all. There was no way his grandparents were nobility. If they were, why had he grown up as the bastard son of a poor village woman? No, Gaius had to be making this up. But, by the look on his face, Merlin wasn't so sure. _Perhaps he's going senile,_ Merlin mused.

Gaius saw the doubt on his ward's face. "I know it is very hard to believe, Merlin, but I can assure you, it's all true. Listen to the rest of my story, and it will make sense in the end."

Merlin motioned for Gaius to continue, skeptical that any of this would actually make sense.

"Your mother grew up as a Lady in the Bordel household. She always had everything she needed. Because her parents were often occupied with other matters, her three bothers- Aldis, Garnet, and Hywel- were extremely over protective of her, and took it upon themselves to... interview, shall we say, anybody who wished to court her. They made it clear that if anyone were to hurt her, they would have them to answer to.

"Long story short, because the three of them were so intimidating, nobody wanted to risk courting her. The three of them were also some of the top knights in the kingdom, with only the heir to the throne surpassing them in skill, so that also helped keep unwanted male attention away from Hunith."

"And what kingdom is this?" Asked Merlin, finding all of this harder and harder to believe. _Is Gaius crazy?_ he asked himself.

"Navenna," said Balinor

Merlin turned to face him. He was a little startled because he had forgotten the Prince was there.

"Navenna?" Asked Merlin. Balinor nodded. "As in, your kingdom?"

The Prince nodded once more. "Yes."

Merlin looked back at Gaius. "You are telling me that my mother grew up as a noble in Navenna, and my uncles were three of the best knights in the kingdom?" Gaius nodded in confirmation.

"Were?" Said Balinor. Merlin shifted his gaze back to him. " _Were?_ Your Uncles _are still_ three of the top knights in the kingdom of Navenna. In fact, they were part of the party that accompanied Melaina and I here."

"Really?" Asked Merlin

"Truly," answered the Prince. Merlin couldn't believe it. He was actually starting to believe this story. Hearing Balinor confirm what Gaius said helped with that. The Prince didn't strike him as crazy, and how could one make this up? "But that is beside the point, Gaius please continue?"

Merlin switched his attention to Gaius once more.

"No matter how hard your Uncles tried, men still fell for your mother's charm. One noble in particular, caught her attention. Due to the fact that she had fallen for him as much as he had for her, there was little the brothers could do to get in the way. The two were married, but forbidden from having any children, under penalty of death."

"Why's that?" Merlin asked.

"I'm getting to that!" Said Gaius.

Merlin held his hands up in defense. "Ok."

"Anyways... they were forbidden from having children. When you came along... she knew the only way to keep both you and her alive, was to leave.

"So she left, kept out of the public's eye, and was in the process of making her way here to stay with me. When she reached Ealdor, she was at the point in her pregnancy where she couldn't continue to travel, so she..."

Gaius was cut short by his door bursting open. In came Sirs Percival and Leon supporting a bleeding and unconscious Elyan. Behind them, Sir Lancelot and a young, recently knighted knight, brought in Sir Gwain, who was in a similar state.

The ones supporting the more severely injured were all sporting wounds of their own. Percival's right shoulder, left bare from his sleeveless chainmail, had an ugly black and blue bruise, while Leon was limping. Lancelot had a black eye and a cut on his cheek. They paled in comparison to Elyan and Gwain though.

Elyan's forehead was wrapped in red cloth- presumably torn from the cape of a fellow knight- and so was his waist. Gwain's chainmail had been removed, and his torso was bare, most likely so that his left shoulder could be bound. One of his knees was also wrapped.

Gaius, Merlin, and Balinor were immediately on their feet. In a matter of seconds, the physician and his ward were at the sides of the wounded. Blood was seeping through the makeshift bandages.

"What happened?" Merlin asked Leon as the knight and Percival laid Elyan on the table where, previously, Gaius had been telling the story.

"Saxons," grunted Leon as he sat down, his leg clearly paining him. "A whole band of them. They outnumbered us three-to-one, _and_ had archers," he said, indicating to Gwain.

"Bloody bastards," Gwain mumbled, barely conscious due to blood loss.

"And Elyan?" Asked Merlin, already addressing the Queen's brother's wounds.

"Arrow to the hip, caused him to trip, and hit his head on a rock," Leon simply answered.

Merlin assessed his patient. Removing the bandages, he noted that both head and hip wound would need cleaned for infection. _Most likely will need stitches,_ he thought, _and most likely has a concussion, too._

 _"_ Merlin!" Gaius called from his work bench, where he was currently attending to Gwain. "I need yarrow!"

Taking one glace around the room, Merlin knew it was true. Without yarrow to make the pain medicines and healing potions that would be needed, it would be a pain-filled hell for the six knights in the room, but he hated to leave Elyan in his current state. Merlin scanned the room. Percival was standing off to the side near Gwain, out of everyone's way. The manservant couldn't tell of any other injury besides the one on his shoulder. He would work

"Percival," called out Merlin. The giant of a knight looked over too him. Grabbing a handful of fresh cloth, Merlin held it out to him. "Keep pressure on his wounds while I'm gone."

The knight nodded and took the cloth. Merlin grabbed the herb basket and was out the door.

* * *

Melaina huffed as she walked down the halls of the castle. She flat-out refused to return to her chambers.

Why did her uncle push her away like that? He never did that. _Ever._ What was so important that she couldn't even stay in the room? He wasn't even talking to a noble!

Melaina shook her head and took a deep breath. _Fine,_ she though, _if he won't tell me who this mysterious voice belongs to, I'll find out on my own._

* * *

 **A/N: Please, let me know what you thought! I hope it was up to par with the other chapters, it just didn't feel as exciting to me. (And please don't kill me for pushing the reveal back again. We'll get there, I promise!) Reviews mean the world, and make my day as well!**


	6. AN

**A/N: To all of my wonderful readers,**

 **I regret to inform you that it will be a few weeks until I can post new material. I have to get a new laptop (which I am not happy about, yet excited at the same time! I am currently posting this via smart phone). I know, I shouldn't be making excuses, but don't worry, I have not given up in this story**!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, here I am, back with another chapter. Sorry about the wait, life has been quite hectic! This chapter is more of a filler, if anything. The main action will start taking place in the next chapters. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Footsteps echoed out, declaring that someone was coming down the hall. Melaina darted into a small nook between two pillars, hiding in the shadows they offered. The princesses of Navenna was determined to find the source of the mysterious voice in her head. Finding the voice, though, required her to wander and search the halls of castle. The fewer people who saw her, the better.

Melaina held her breath as a lone knight walked past her hiding place. She was still for a moment longer, listening for more footsteps. None came, so she left the shadows and continued down the corridor. She was close to an answer, she could _feel_ it.

* * *

Merlin ran out of the gates of the castle with the herb basket swinging in his hand. If there was one thing the servant disliked, it was picking herbs, _especially_ with a patient to attend to. He intended to make this fast.

Luckily, though, he didn't have to go far to find the plant he needed. Last time Merlin was collecting herbs for Gaius, he was fortunate enough to stumble across a huge patch of yarrow, located just inside the forest on the far side of the lower town. At least he wouldn't have to waist valuable time searching for it!

Unfortunately, the streets were crowded with people going about their daily business, causing Merlin to have to weave between them.

"Why are there so many people?" The manservant muttered to himself. He could have sworn the market was never this busy. Nonetheless, he continued onward to his destination, barreling down the street and dodging people in the process.

Merlin was just reaching the last few stalls. He was honestly quite impressed with himself. He had managed to sprint the entire length of the market without tripping or running into anything. That just didn't happen. Merlin didn't know why, but his senses were on high alert, and had been, since the moment he had stepped foot outside of the castle, allowing him to side step an obstacle without realizing it was there. If the manservant had to guess, he'd say it was his magic

Merlin hopped to the side to avoid running into a group of kids that had wandered into his path. Merlin smiled as he ran past them playing. It was little moments like this that made him...THUD!

Merlin grunted as he hit a solid object and tumbled backwards. So much for not running into anything.

"Oi, lad! Are you alright?" Called a voice from above him. Merlin let out a slight groan as two pairs of hands grabbed his arms and lifted him to his feet.

"You don't have a head injury, now do ya?" Asked another voice.

Merlin blinked rapidly to help clear his head and bring him back to reality. In front of him stood a knight who's height was equivalent to that of Percival's. But, instead of Camelot's red, he wore the dark blue that was Navenna's color. He was slightly bent over, and had a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine," managed Merlin. The knight smiled and straightened his back. Merlin glanced to each side. A knight of Navenna stood on either side of him. Merlin guessed that these were the men that had helped him up. The one on the left was much shorter than the first, standing at about the same height as the manservant. He had brown hair and warm eyes. The knight on the right was barely taller than the one on the left. He had the same color hair and warm eyes.

"What did I run into?" Asked Merlin

The three knights stared at the manservant for a good long second before they all burst out laughing. Merlin gave them all confused looks. What was so funny? Finally, the knight on the right managed to calm himself enough to answer.

"Why, you pretty much sprinted into Garnet's chest," he said, indicating to the mountain of man in front of Merlin.

Realizing what he was saying, Merlin felt like the clumsy idiot Arthur always accused him of being. "I guess I didn't see you there," said the manservant, "sorry about that."

"Oh, don't worry about that" said Garnet with a smile, "I doubt a little thing like you would be able to hurt me."

Merlin couldn't help but smile, too. Besides his friends here in Camelot, these were some of the friendliest knights he'd met.

"Out of curiosity," said the knight on the right, "why were you running through the market like the devil himself was after you?"

"Oh, uh... herbs," said Merlin, indicating to the basket still clenched in his hand.

"Herbs?" Asked the knight, slightly confused.

"I was collecting them," clarified the manservant, "for the court physician. Speaking of which, I need to be on my way. Patients in critical condition!"

With that, the raven-haired boy set off again, leaving three very baffled knights behind him.

"What was that all about?" Said the one on the right.

"Herbs," answered Garnet.

"Is it just me," asked the third, "or does he look strangely familiar?"

"I was thinking the same thing," the other two answered in union.

* * *

After reaching the forest, Merlin slowed his pace to a walk. He had made it through the market and lower town with only one incident, he wasn't going to push his luck by running through the trees.

He was glad the knight he ran into, and his companions, were kind enough to help him up and make sure he was okay. Most visiting nobles would have demanded his arrest for running into them. Merlin wished all members of foreign delegations could be like that.

Merlin pushed aside a low-hanging tree branch, revealing a small clearing overrun with yarrow. The manservant immediately got on his knees and began picking handfuls of the herb, determined to fill the basket as quickly as possible. The sooner he got back to the physician's quarters, the better. He soon established a rhythm, pick, put in the basket, pick put in the basket.

Before long, the basket full. Merlin jammed one last handful into it. Theoretically, the amount of yarrow he had managed to cram into the basket _should_ be able to last Gaius for quite some time. Realistically, Merlin would be out here next week to collect some more.

Merlin stood up, and took a moment to stretch his back. After a few seconds, he grabbed the herb basket, now filled with yarrow, and began the trek back to the castle.

* * *

Balinor silently closed Gaius's door behind him. After Merlin had ran out in search of herbs, the Prince had come to two different conclusions. The first being that he would be no help in healing the injured knights. He also realized that now was not the time to tell Merlin his parentage.

They had been so close, _So close,_ to revealing the truth. A minute or two more, that's all the longer it would have taken for Gaius to finish his story. For him to tell Merlin that the noble his mother had fallen in love with was actually the Crown Prince. For Merlin to know who his father is, which was something the raven-haired boy had gone his whole life without knowing.

Balinor gave a short laugh. Of course, that would have been too easy. It was way to simple to say, "Merlin, I am your father," and have a nice conversation to get to know each other.

No, everything had to be made more complicated by knights with arrow wounds barging into the room, demanding medical attention.

The Prince stopped in his tracks. He shootouts head and chuckled under his breath. He couldn't believe himself. Here he was, pouting over the fact that he couldn't hold his son's attention for a few moments longer, when not to far away, there were some knights who needed Merlin's undivided.

The truth could wait, it was not a pressing matter. Balinor would be in Camelot for several more days. Sooner or later, Merlin would know the truth.

* * *

Torchlight danced off of the walls of the descending passageway. Melaina kept one hand on the wall as she walked down it, and held a torch in the other one. The torch was a small one, only lighting a few meters in front of her.

Being the curious young woman she was, she couldn't help but wonder where this passage led to, and what its intended purpose was. Perhaps it was a secret tunnel, an emergency exit for the king and queen of Camelot.

Whatever it was, it was far below the castle. And the entrance had been guarded. Melaina paused mid-step. Maybe coming down here wasn't such a good idea. After all, what did she even expect to find at the end of this dark, slightly damp passageway that kept leading farther and farther away from the surface? The answer to her question? That was only a possibility.

Even though she hated to do so, Melaina decided that she better get back to where she was supposed to be before she was missed. Her uncle did say he would he would tell her who the voice belonged to when he was done with whatever he was doing in the physician's quarters. She hoped he would be finished by now.

The princesses took one last look down the passageway, and then turned around and started walking back up it. She hadn't even taken two steps when the voice echoed loudly in her head.

"Giving up, when you are so close?"

Melaina gasped and dropped the torch. The voice was so loud! She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her temples. After a second, the shock and ringing in her ears subsided, and she was able to think again.

She glanced over her shoulder to see what had happened to her torch. Unfortunately, it had rolled all the way to the bottom of the passageway. Fortunately, the bottom was only about ten stairs down.

Melaina shook her head. She couldn't believe herself. She had been so close to giving up! For once, she was grateful for the voice in her head. She walked down the remaining stairs, and bent down to pick up the torch.

Standing strait again, she looked around her - well, as much as she could with the poor light of the torch. She was in a huge underground cavern. In front of her, leading out from the passageway, was a decent sized ledge of rock. Melaina walked to its edge, and peered over the side. The bottom was far down enough that the light of the torch didn't reach it.

"I see you have managed to find your way," the voice rang out from above.

Melaina looked up, hoping to see what had spoken. On an overhang across the cavern, she could see something moving. The rattling of chains echoed throughout the space.

The shadows from the light of the torch were messing with Melaina's eyes, so she wasn't sure what she was seeing. The sound of the chains was drowned out by the sound of a... storm?

What sounded like thunder and wind filled the cavern. Melaina took a few steps back, ready to run back up the stairs.

Suddenly, on a small plateau, several meters from the ledge she was on, landed a huge, golden beast with wings. Melaina's breath caught in her throat. She simply could not believe what she was seeing. Was this all real?

"Hello, young princesses," said the beast.

"You're... you're a Dragon!" Melaina replied.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it for now! I must say, this chapter isn't my best work, but it's not my worst either. I threw in a reference to one of my other fandoms. Did anyone catch it?**

 **Leave a review and let me know what you thought! It makes my day when I read them!**

 **Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I back with another chapter! I am so happy to say that this one was typed on my brand new laptop! (which means, now that I have it, chapters should be more frequent!) Once again, this chapter is more of a build-up to the action. With what I have planned, it _should_ take place in the next chapter or so. Anyways, enough of me. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

"Tonight, we welcome new friends to our halls," announced Arthur, King of Camelot. He stood at the center of the high table, which overlooked the banquet hall. All of his knights, the courtiers, and guests from Navenna were present, seated amongst the various tables in the large room. Nobody wanted to miss such an important feast. "Tonight marks a new begging for two kingdoms, as we forge a friendship that has been long overdue. So now, let us feast together, and enjoy the company of one another!"

Applause filled the hall as Arthur took his seat. To the right of him, sat Guinevere, and next to her Melaina. On the other side of the visiting princess sat a knight of Navenna, introduced to Arthur as Sir Aldis. To the left of the king, was Balinor, and next to him sat two more of his knights, Sirs Hywel and Garnet. Next to them, was Leon, who was here out of his pure loyalty to Arthur alone. The knight would much rather be resting after such a trying day.

Arthur held up his goblet, signaling that he wanted it to be filled. With a pitcher, Merlin stepped forward from his position behind the king's chair to top it off.

"Come up with all of that off the top of your head?" he whispered to Arthur as he poured.

"Yes, I agree, it was quite brilliant," Arthur whispered back.

Merlin rolled his eyes as he walked back to his place in the shadows. Servants brought out the food that the kitchens had worked all day preparing. The aroma was mouthwatering, making Merlin regret not eating before he came. It was going to be a long night, indeed.

His eyes wandered around the hall. The room was packed, but to the manservant, it seemed empty without Gwain and Elyan.

Both knights were still in the physician's quarters, being attended to by Gaius. After Merlin had gotten back to the physician's quarters with the herbs Gaius needed, he had done everything he could to help his mentor tend to the wounds all six knights had. Merlin had been so engaged in his work, that he lost track of time. When he finally made it to Arthur's chambers, it was almost time for the Welcoming Banquet to start. Luckily, Arthur had the sense to get ready on his own. Yes, the king did berate his servant for slacking off, but Merlin could tell the king understood why, even though he'd never admit it.

In fact, the injured knights had become the talk of the castle. Everyone, not just the courtiers, was gossiping about how a whole patrol had been attack, how all the members had received injuries, and how all six knights had miraculously bested the three-to-one odds, gaining the three knights seated at the tables below a temporary spotlight.

Taking a sip of wine, Balinor turned to the young king seated next to him. "I understand that a handful of your knights ran into some trouble today?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Arthur answered, "Two of them are still being attended to by our Court Physician."

"They are in the best hands possible, then," said Balinor with a reassuring smile.

"Indeed," said Arthur, "Gaius is a master of his craft."

"He is," the visiting prince agreed. "Before the purge, I knew him quite well."

"You did?" asked the king.

"I did," answered Balinor, "My brother and I used to visit Camelot all the time. Often, while Kaeden and Uthur discussed war, weapons, and all the other things warriors such as them talk about, I would visit with Gaius. Needless to say, I learned a few things about medicine," he added with a smile.

Arthur let out a small chuckle, and took a bite of the roasted venison on the plate in front of him.

On the other side of Guinevere, sat Melaina, lost in thought. She couldn't believe it. There was a dragon, _a dragon_ , underneath her very feet. She had grown up believing that dragons were an extinct species. Oh, how her father would love her if she told him that there was one dragon still alive, located under the castle of Camelot. The corners of her mouth fell a little. No matter how much she wanted to, there was no way she would be able to tell her father, the king of Navenna, that a dragon resided under Camelot.

The two kingdoms would be signing a peace treaty in ten days. She was not about to send them to war, because, no doubt, as soon as Kaeden received word that a dragon was being held in Camelot, he would show up with his army, demanding that said dragon be brought to him, _and_ King Arthur's head. Of course, neither kingdom would go down without a fight. And it would be a bloody fight due to the fact that Camelot and Navenna are the two strongest kingdoms in the realm. No, the dragon would stay secret for now, even though it had hinted at wanting to be released before she left. _My, how cryptic and vague he had been,_ she thought.

"Princess?"

The soft voice snapped Melaina out of her thoughts. She looked to the side. Queen Guinevere was looking at her, curiosity apparent in her warm, chocolate eyes.

"Yes?" asked Melaina, hoping that she hadn't been making any strange facial expression whilst thinking. She liked Camelot's queen, and didn't want to make a bad impression.

Gwen smiled, the kindness that radiated from it making Melaina smile, too. "I was just wondering if you were going to eat at all," she said, motioning to the plate in front of Melaina.

The princess glanced down at the table, mentally kicking herself for letting her thoughts wander so much, that she didn't even notice the meal had been served. Looking back at Guinevere, she answered. "Yes, of course, I was just letting it cool a bit."

With that, she picked up her fork, and began eating. Gwen smiled once more, and then turned back to her own meal. She could tell that the visiting princess had something on her mind, but respecting her privacy, hadn't pried at all. Hopefully she would relax over the next few days, and enjoy her stay in Camelot.

* * *

It was late that night when Merlin stumbled back to the physician's quarters. Both Arthur and Balinor had been quite engaged in the conversation between them, and the Banquet itself seemed to drag on slower than normal. It had been Merlin's job to make sure neither the king's, or the visiting prince's, cup ran dry. He had refilled both several times. Arthur barley acknowledged him when he did, but Balinor always took the opportunity to look at the manservant, studying him with those intelligent brown eyes of his.

As he quietly closed the door behind him- both sleeping knights were exactly where they had been when he left to attend to Arthur -Merlin couldn't help but thinking about the story Gaius had told him earlier, with Balinor throwing in a few details. They both said his mother was the daughter of a _Navenna noble_. That she had three brothers, meaning he had uncles. Who were knights. _And currently in Camelot._

The manservant couldn't help but smile his signature, goofy smile when he thought that. As far-fetched as that story was, he'd never known Gaius to lie to him, much less make up some over-the-top tale. Not only that, but Prince Balinor was on his side. Balinor struck Merlin as an honest and trustworthy man. He'd decided to accept that story as truth. Which meant, he now knew more than triple what he already had about his family, including much of his mother's past.

… A past which included a husband.

…Who was also a noble.

… _and his father._

Merlin froze mid stride as he was walking up the steps to his room. _Gaius had been about to tell him about his father._

A man who was a noble from Navenna.

Making Merlin the _son_ of a Noble.

None of his friends in Camelot would believe this.

Merlin promised himself that, as soon as Gwain and Elyan were better, which they should be soon, he would ask Gaius for answers.

With a huge smile plastered on his face, the manservant continued into his room. He quickly changed into his night clothes, and collapsed onto his bed, satisfied with the fact that soon, he would know the answer to a question he'd had for years.

* * *

 **Well, there's chapter 7 for ya! Leave a review and let me know what you thought!**

 **I was so happy when so many people picked up on my reference in the last chapter! For those who didn't know, I was referring to Star Wars when I said "Merlin, I am your father." And yes, I know that is not the exact wording, but oh, well.**

 **Here's a question for you wonderful readers: What do you think Kilgharra said to Melaina in their conversation?**

 **Please review, it would mean the world!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: As promised, here's the next update! Before we get to the stuff you're all here for, I've gotta take a moment to thank all you wonderful people who have followed and favorited this story, and a special thank you to those of you who left a review. I CAN"T BELIEVE IT, THIS STORY HAS REACHED 100 REVIEWS! This is officially my most popular story, and it's thanks to you guys! Seriously, though, you all are amazing! Now, on with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

It was something on the edge of his consciousness that woke Merlin. He blinked his cobalt blue eyes several times before sitting up, slightly on edge. Moonlight filtered in through the window, dimly lighting the small bedroom.

The young warlock glanced around the room. Nothing was out of place, or felt different. He let out some of his magic, checking the main room on the other side of his door. Everything was normal in there as well. What was it, then, that had woken him, and had given him a slight feeling of unease?

Looking around the room one more time, Merlin let out a small breath, and rolled over onto his side, chalking his reaction up to over-excitement about his newfound knowledge. He closed his eyes, and attempted to drift back off to sleep. After lying there for several minutes, he realized this feeling of discomposure would not go away. If anything, it was getting worse.

Sitting back up, Merlin threw his covers off, and stood on the wooden floor of his room. Quickly he dressed himself, looking in the small, round, piece of polished metal that served as his mirror, to tie on his red neckerchief.

The manservant made his way out of his room, across the length of Gaius's workroom, and into the hall, quietly closing the door behind him. He grabbed a nearby torch from the wall. Merlin walked through the deserted halls of the castle, letting his magic wander ahead of him as he did so, not wanting to run into any surprises. It seemed everyone from the banquet had made their way back to their respective chambers, as Merlin found nobody besides a pair of guards on night duty, who he easily avoided by ducking into the shadows between two pillars.

Well, almost everybody. Up ahead, he sensed the presence of three… no, four men. Men he didn't recognize. The feeling of unease nearly doubled.

The warlock frowned, and headed towards the group, keeping to the shadows just in case. He disposed of his torch into a nearby holder on the wall. He moved as quietly as he could to the next corner. Voices spoke out from around it.

"This is almost too easy," a deep and rough voice said. Quiet laughs responded to the comment. Merlin briefly froze before he ducked behind a nearby statue. From around the corner came four brutish men. Mercenaries, by the looks of them. That was concerning to begin with. The fact that the direction they were heading in led to the Nobles' quarters was even more so. Not only did the knights and courtiers reside there, but as did the visiting royalty, and the King and Queen of Camelot.

A look of determination appeared on the manservant's face as he silently began to follow them. Nobody would hurt any of his friends. Not on his watch. He would not kill them, no. He did not kill in cold blood. Much rather, he would stun them, so a castle guard would find them.

Keeping a decent distance behind them, Merlin began to mutter under his breath.

" _Ic ƥé wiƥdrífe."_

With a flash of gold from his eyes, the four intruders flew forward, two of which were throw into a wall. The manservant cautiously approached them. Out of the four, none were moving. Merlin briefly checked to make sure that they were still alive. They all were, and would not be regaining conciseness for some time.

Out of habit, Merlin looked around him, making sure nobody had witnessed the scene which had just occurred. Then, a silently and cautiously as he had come, he made his way back to bed, the feeling of unease now gone. In its place, was concern. Who were these people, and why had they come?

* * *

It wasn't until first light, a few hours later, that the alarm bells went off. Merlin lazily rolled over.

"Took them long enough," he muttered to himself. Sometimes he wondered how Camelot had survived this long, what with how terrible the Castle Guard was.

Looking in his "mirror" to straighten his neckerchief, the manservant set off, knowing that His Royal Pratness would already be up dealing with the matter of the warning bells. It would be best to have his breakfast ready for him to eat.

Whistling a merry tune, he walked down the passageway that led to the kitchens. After grabbing a silver platter filled with meat, cheese, miniature tomatoes, and fresh bread, the manservant made his way to the king's chambers.

Even though the sun had barely risen, the halls of the castle were already filled with servants going about their daily chores. Merlin dodged left and right to weave his way through them, calling out greetings as he went.

"G'morning, Merlin!" said Morris, the servant assigned to one of the knights.

"Morning!" Merlin answered back.

"D'ya have any idea why the warning bell was ringin'?" he asked, now walking side-by-side with the king's manservant.

"I'm afraid to say I don't," Merlin replied, "I haven't even been to the king's chambers yet."

"Ah, ok," said Morris. "Well, have a good day!"

With that, he turned and walked into a side passage.

Merlin resumed whistling, and continued on his way. The traffic in the halls thinned out a bit as he made his way to the Nobles' wing of the castle. There, he walked down the main hall, and then turned left into a smaller passage, rarely traveled by people. Merlin often took this way, due to the fact that it was a shortcut to Arthur's rooms. At the end of it, he turned left again.

…And ran straight into a person.

With a combination of instinctive magic and luck, Merlin managed to not spill Arthur's breakfast. The platter landed on the floor with a muted _clang_ , and next to it, the manservant who dropped it landed on his backside.

"I am so sorry," said Merlin, as he quickly stood. He looked over to the other person, who had also taken a backwards tumble. It was none other than Princess Melaina. The manservant inwardly cursed, and went to help her up. Arthur would have him in the stocks for this.

"I am so, so sorry," he said, as he took her hands and pulled her to her feet.

Melaina brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. "No harm done," she said with a smile.

Merlin nodded once, and bent over to pick up the tray he'd dropped, thankful that the food was still on it. "Well, I better be on my way," he said to the princess. Glancing over at her, he realized she was looking at him, with curiosity and confusion in her eyes.

"There is something different about you," she said, "and I can't quite put my finger on it."

With a sheepish smile and a shrug, the Raven-Haired man replied. "I'm just a servant."

Melaina studied him. There _was_ something about him, she just wasn't sure what that something was.

"What's your name?" she asked. In their brief encounter the day before, she had never caught it.

"Merlin," he replied.

"Well, Merlin," said Melaina, "I will let you get on your way."

The manservant nodded once more, and walked past her, the silver platter with food in his hands.

* * *

Melaina continued down the corridor, deep in thought. The words of the dragon echoing in her head.

" _You're… you're a dragon!" she had said, the disbelief and excitement apparent in her voice._

 _The enormous creature before her chuckled. "And you are the daughter of a dragonlord."_

" _I thought all of the dragons were gone," she stated._

" _If that was true, would I be here now?"_

" _I suppose not," she said. "Why_ are _you here?" she added._

" _Tis a matter in which I do not want to dwell," he replied._

 _Melaina had slightly tilted her head to the side. That response had spiked her curiosity. "Why did you call me here?"_

" _Because I wished to meet the eldest daughter of Kaeden Ambrosius. The daughter who was not a son."_

What does that have to do with anything? _Melaina wondered. "And why did you wish to meet me?"_

 _The dragon's mouth stretched into a sort of smile. "All in time, young princess. I do have advice to offer you, should you choose to heed it."_

 _Melaina nodded once. "I will." Both her father and uncle had spoken of the wisdom of dragons. If one was willingly giving her advice, she would do well to take it._

" _Trust in the king's manservant. There is more to him than you will ever know. He will be your closest ally."_

 _With that, the dragon spread his massive wings, and flew off, the chain that was attached to his hind leg rattling as he disappeared into the shadows._

Melaina continued to walk until she arrived at the guest chambers assigned to her. The words of the dragon had been constantly on her mind since she left his cave, and she decided to take a walk to help clear her head, not that it had helped much. The dragon had been very vague in what he was saying, but yet, knew the right words to say.

" _You are the daughter of a dragonlord."_

She had always been amazed by the fact that her father, and his father before him, were "kin" as he had explained it, to the dragons. The powers they possessed being passed to the eldest son with their death. It was the main reason Kaeden had never paid her any attention. His powers would not continue on through her. She was not worth his time.

" _The daughter who was not a son."_

She was very aware that she was not a son. Her father had made that clear as well. It was almost like the dragon was slightly smug over that fact.

It was the last bit, his advice to her, that really had the gears in her head working.

" _Trust in the king's manservant. There is more to him than you will ever know. He will be your closest ally."_

As royalty, Melaina never put her trust in someone she'd only met the day before, much less a servant, but there was something about Merlin that _made_ her want to trust him. She didn't know if it was the way he boldly spoke to her, a visiting royal, or the fact that he'd tell you his honest opinion, as he had done when she'd asked about King Arthur.

Or maybe it was the fact that he looked incredibly similar to her uncle. Way to similar than to pass it off as coincidence.

" _There is more to him than you will ever know."_

What was there to know? What secrets was this young man, this servant to the King of Camelot hiding?

" _He will be your closest ally."_

That was the part that made her head spin the most. Her ally in what? Why would she need an ally? And why would he be the closest one she had? As a princess, she had a very strong support system. For starters, her uncle, and her four younger sisters. What events would unfold that would make him her closest collaborator?

Shaking her head, the princess looked into her mirror. She straightened her necklace and smoothed the already near-invisible wrinkles on her dress.

Melaina needed someone who was wiser than her to help figure out what this so-called advice meant. These were questions for her Uncle Balinor.

* * *

Balancing the silver platter on one hand, Merlin pushed open the slightly ajar door to Arthur's room. Unsurprisingly, the king was already up and dressed. The manservant had expected as much, what with the warning bells going off at dawn. Arthur and several red-caped knights were standing around the table in the room, where several maps of the castle and of the town were spread out. The young king was giving orders.

"And Sir Leon, I want you to take a patrol of guards and search the lower town. Sir Ian, you do a sweep of the castle's lower levels. I want anything suspicious reported to me," he said, the last part addressing all the knights assembled.

With that, the knights turned and left the room to carry out their orders. Arthur glanced at the servant who had entered his chambers.

"Merlin! I don't think I've ever seen you up so early," he said as he picked up a report.

"I could say the same, sire," the manservant replied as he set the platter down on the table. With a faint smile on his face, the king picked up a tomato and popped it into his mouth. Merlin busied himself with making the bed. It was a comfortable silence that filled the room.

A few minutes later, there was knock on the still slightly-open door. With a quick look at Arthur, who was still focused on the piece of paper in his hand, the young warlock walked over to it, and opened it further. Standing there was Prince Balinor. Merlin motioned for him to come in.

The foreign prince gave the manservant a warm smile as he entered.

"Good morning, Merlin," he said.

"Good morning, Your Highness," the raven-haired servant answered.

Merlin closed the door behind him and went back to making the bed.

At seeing who entered, Arthur set down the report. "Prince Balinor," he said, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Several of my party, myself included, were wondering why the warning bells were ringing earlier," said Balinor.

Arthur kept his face neutral, showing neither fear nor arrogance as he answered. "Just before dawn this morning, one of the castle guards came across what appeared to be four mercenaries knocked unconscious in the corridor that leads to the Nobles' wing of the castle. I have sent several of my knights to search the castle and town for anyone who might be in league with them, or have any information. None of us could fathom what they were doing in the castle, or why they had been knocked out."

A look of surprise passed over Balinor's face. "And they entered the castle _without_ triggering any alarms?"

"I have men looking into that as well," replied Arthur, with a mix of concern and embarrassment in his voice.

Balinor gave the young king an encouraging smile. "I have no doubt you and your knights will solve this mystery." He crossed to the table and looked at the maps. "Where were the four bodies discovered?"

Arthur walked to the other side of the table, and pointed to a marked corridor on one of the aged papers. "Around here, but the positions they were found in suggests that they were thrown quite aways."

"Interesting," mused Balinor. "Have you ruled magic out?"

"For which?" asked Arthur, "How far in the mercenaries managed to get, or the state of unconsciousness they were found in?"

"All of the above."

"If anything," said Arthur, looking up at the prince, "I believe it's responsible for both."

"I must say," said Balinor, sending a quick glance in the direction of the manservant before meeting his gaze, "I quite agree."

* * *

 **A/N: aaaaaand scene! Well, there's the chapter for ya! It seems things are heating up Camelot! (And it looks like Kilgharra's getting in his two bits, _as usual_ …) Any guesses at what the Mercenaries were doing?**

 **As always, thank you so much all you wonderful readers. You guys make writing _that_ much more fun!**

 **Leave a review before you go? (I smile like an idiot every time I read them!)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Oh my goodness, I can't even thank you guys enough for all the positive feedback this story has gotten! You guys are truly amazing! Here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

"If anything," Arthur had said, "I believe it's responsible for both."

"I must say," Balinor had responded, "I quite agree."

Merlin paused in the midst of tidying up the young king's bed, and risked a brief glance at the table where Arthur and the visiting prince were talking, discussing the castle break-in that had happened the night before.

The manservant resumed his work, barely focusing on what his hands were doing, his thoughts in a whirlwind. This was a topic that had weighed on his mind since said events took place. He knew, for a fact, that magic had indeed played a factor in at least part of last night's events- He had been the one to cast a spell and detain the intruders –but for as how the mercenaries had gotten so far into the castle, the raven-haired servant had no idea. Perhaps the two other men in the room would come to a sensible and logical conclusion. After all, neither were new to castle invasions (if four men counted as an invasion), or how they worked.

A single corner of Merlin's mouth twitched into a smile. One of the perks to being the personal manservant of the king; he always got to listen in on important conversations.

"I assume all four bodies have been moved to the dungeon?" Balinor asked Arthur.

The blonde nodded. "They were even so lucky as to each get their own cell." With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he added, "no need to give them the chance to come up with a story to stick to."

Balinor straightened his back. "A wise thing to do," he said.

Arthur took one last look at the maps before him. Letting out a deep breath, he looked at the older royal. "Perhaps you'd like to take breakfast with me? That way, we can form an outline about what the treaty should cover, so the meeting session today won't be filled with councilmen arguing over the basics of it all."

Balinor studied the young man in front of him. He knew, that Arthur had the makings of a fine king. He could also tell that the blonde needed a break from the current topic at hand. "I would, indeed," the prince answered, "My reputation and brother may say different, but I _do not_ enjoy long meetings with elderly men yelling at each other."

The young king smiled, and this time, it reached his brilliant blue eyes. "Alright then. Merlin!" he called, drawing the attention of his servant. Merlin looked up. "Go down to the kitchens and fetch breakfast for Prince Balinor."

Merlin nodded. He quickly set the pillow in his hand on the bed, and started walking towards the door. As the manservant did so, the king began rolling up the several maps scattered on the table, and setting them off to the side. As Merlin passed Balinor, the foreign prince turned his head to look at him. The two briefly made eye contact, the older man giving the younger a warm smile. Merlin returned the smile, and proceeded to the door.

* * *

Whistling a merry tune, Merlin made his way back to the kitchens via the same way he had come earlier. Luckily, he didn't run into any visiting princesses this time. As he turned the corner where the incident happened, the manservant mused over the small conversation the collision had resulted in.

" _There is something different about you, and I can't quite put my finger on it."_

The words she had spoken were so similar to ones Arthur had said to him all those years ago, when Merlin had first come to Camelot.

At least she didn't try to take his head off with a mace.

Or put him in the stocks.

Or throw him in a cell.

What stuck out the most in the young warlock's mind, though, was the way she had looked at him. Back then, Arthur had been very unsure about him, but not in a bad way. If anything, he was slightly impressed by the farm boy that had stood up to him, a boy who wasn't afraid to insult the kingdom's prince. Melaina, on the other hand, had looked equally confused and curious. It was almost as if she _did_ know something, but wasn't sure whether to believe it or not.

The thought didn't faze Merlin. Arthur claimed to know his servant better than anyone else. If he hadn't been able to figure out what made Merlin different from every other person in the eight years the servant had lived in the castle, there was no way a princess who would be leaving in two weeks would.

As he turned the corner to the main corridor, the manservant let out a sigh of relief. Almost all of the traffic had cleared from the hall. It would be _much_ easier to carry a platter full of food now, without all the people to dodge.

* * *

" _Trust in the king's manservant. There is more to him than you will ever know. He will be your closest ally."_

Melaina wanted to scream. Literally nothing else had been going through her mind. The princess was sitting at the vanity in her room, staring into the mirror. In her hand, she held a brush.

After she had decided to present her current dilemma to her uncle, she had intended to go and seek him out right then and there. But, when she placed a hand on her door latch, she immediately had second thoughts. Yes, Balinor was not his brother, but who's to say he wouldn't take some offence to Camelot hosting possibly the last dragon in existence? No, she wouldn't risk the future of both kingdoms on her personal problems.

...but she could at least talk to him about Merlin.

The raven-haired manservant to Camelot's king was, by far, the most interesting thing in Camelot so far, what with the way he talked about his master _to visiting royalty_. But that wasn't what held the majority of her fascination.

No, what had her the most intrigued, was the fact that he looked near identical to her uncle, and uncomfortably similar to her father. The only differences between Merlin and her Uncle Balinor that she could spot, was eye color- the younger of the two having beautiful cobalt blue eyes, while the older had warm brown- and age.

Setting her brush down on the vanity, Melaina rose from her seat, walked to the door, and stepped into the hallway. She was feeling much less stressed now that she had a plan, of sorts.

"Princess Melaina," a voice called in greeting behind her.

She turned around. Approaching her from not too far away was a knight of Navenna.

"Sir Aldis," she replied, happy that this was the person she crossed paths with. Out of all the knights who had come to Camelot with her and her uncle, Sir Aldis was, by far, her favourite.

The youngest of three brothers, Sir Aldis Bordel was a master with any weapon, because he always wanted to outdo his older siblings (who, in return, worked hard to top _his_ skill). He was also the most optimistic and humorous person she knew, even if he was, at times, easily distracted. Sometimes, it was hard to believe he was nearly the same age as her father and uncle, what with his youthful face and cheerful eyes (and his behavior, from time to time).

"You look determind," said Aldis. "Are you embarking on a quest?" he added, with a good natured smile.

"Of sorts," Melaina answered.

"And why is the princess questing alone? Surely such an important young Lady of the Court has a traveling companion?"

Melaina smiled and rolled her eyes as she turned and continued down the hall. That was one of the things that made Aldis, well, _Aldis._ He seemed to have the uncanny ability to sense a person's mood, and always felt compelled to help boost one's morale.

The knight fell instep beside her. "So… where are we going, and what dangers will we face?"

"To find my uncle," replied Melaina.

"Well," said Aldis, "If that's the case, then we are headed in the wrong direction."

The princess sent a questioning look at him.

"He's currently in King Arthur's rooms. Been there for a while, infact."

Melaina raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He went to find out why the warning bells were ringing earlier."

Melaina stopped walking forward, and turned to look at the hallway behind her. Before she could move any father, Aldis reached out and turned her, so that she was facing forward once more.

"Oh, no you don't," he said, "There are many things that one of your status can get away with, but dragging your uncle, _the prince_ , away from our host, _the King of Camelot,_ is not one of them.

Taking one short glance behind her, Melaina let out a small sigh. "I guess you're right," she admitted. The princess felt discouraged that, once again, her uncle was busy.

The two stood in silence for a few seconds before Aldis clapped his hands together.

" I know just what you need!" he exclaimed.

"And what would that be?" asked Melaina, a little startled from the sudden noise.

"A trip to the physician!"

"A trip to the… what?" Melaina was officially confused.

"Come, it will do you a world of good! As it is, I was just headed there myself."

Melaina stared at the knight beside her. There were times when she wondered if his brothers had hit him over the head a time to many. This was one of those times. And what was it with members of the delegation visiting Camelot's physician? First her uncle, now Sir Aldis. Before she knew it _she_ would be visiting the physician just for the heck of it.

"Um… okay," Melaina managed to say.

Aldis smiled at the confused princess before him. "Gaius, the Court Physician, is my mother's eldest brother. It's been a while since I've last seen him, and I'm sure he'd love to meet you," explained the knight.

"Is he really?" asked the princess with a hint of disbelief.

"He is," replied Aldis, "You can ask either one of my brothers, both will tell you the same thing."

 _Well,_ thought Melaina, _at least one thing makes sense._

If this Gaius was Aldis' uncle, that meant he was also _Hunith's_ uncle. That was most definitely why her Uncle Balinor was there yesterday. It seemed that all of these small pieces of a puzzle were finally starting to form a picture.

"Well in that case, I would love to meet him," she said with a smile.

* * *

Merlin was whistling along to the same tune as earlier, caring another silver platter weighed down with food to Arthur's chambers. The young warlock felt a brief sensation of déjà vu as he approached the king's door.

Once again, it was slightly ajar. Using his elbow, the manservant pushed it open. Inside, Prince Balinor was seated at the table, while Arthur stood next to his chair, listening as a red-caped knight orally gave his report to the king.

 _Must have finished his assigned search section_ , Merlin thought to himself.

As gracefully as he could, the manservant crossed to the table, which had been cleared save two lengths of parchment and two quills. He then set the platter in front of the prince.

"Thank you, Merlin," said Balinor, his gaze lingering on the young man. Oh, how he wished they could've finished the story…

With a nod, the servant stepped away from the table, and went back to his chores.

"…and make sure to keep me posted," said Arthur, as he finished the conversation with the knight. With a nod of respect and a swish of his cape, the knight exited the room.

"I apologize for the interruption," the young king said as he sat down.

"Oh, don't fret over it. The safety of your kingdom is what matters," said Balinor.

"And now the fun part," said Arthur as he reached for one of the pieces of parchment, "Outlining a treaty."

* * *

 **A/N: So I realize I've been really pushing off the big reveal, but don't worry, there is a method to my madness (hopefully). And yes, it will actually happen!**

 **This was more of a filler chapter, if anything. More action in the next chapter, I promise!**

 **And thank you, thank you, thank you so very much to all of you wonderful people who have followed, favorited, and reviewed! I smile like a complete idiot every time I get an email notification from !**

 **Before you go, leave a review? (They make my day :D)**


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay, I've gotta thank all you wonderful people who not only read this story, but follow, favorite, and review it as well. You guys are amazing! And this chapter has some fun stuff in it, I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin

* * *

Sir Aldis knocked on the wooded door before him. Behind him and a little to the left, stood Princess Melaina.

"Enter!" called a voice from within the room on the other side.

The knight pushed open the door, and was greeted by a mix of smells radiating from the various potions and ingredients scattered over all of the different surfaces. His eyes swept the room until they landed on an elderly figure hunched over a workbench.

"Gaius!" said Aldis, in attempt to draw the attention of the man.

Gaius looked up to the person who had called out his name, and smiled. "I wondered when I'd be seeing one of you three."

"Well," said Aldis, motioning to himself, "here I am."

"Indeed," the physician chuckled.

The knight of Navenna crossed the space to the elderly man, and engulfed him in a hug, which Gaius gladly returned.

"I thought you had a meeting to attend this morning?" questioned Gaius when the two broke apart.

"Not until the ninth hour," answered Aldis , "which, is still some time away. I thought I'd come and see my uncle, like a good nephew. Family is _always_ my top priority, unlike my two brothers, who haven't come calling yet."

"I see," said Gaius. "That's why you came as soon as you could."

"Well, of course!"

The physician raised an eyebrow. The knight before him was obviously _not_ picking up on his sarcastic tone.

"Yes, and I'm sure you were too busy yesterday to come and see me."

Aldis's face dropped. "Both my brothers visited you yesterday, didn't they?"

Gaius couldn't help but laugh a little. "No, _they_ didn't. The prince, on the other hand, did. Within the first hour of the delegation's arrival, in fact."

The knight stared at his uncle. "I… honestly don't know what to say to that."

The physician shook his head. "Never mind about that. You're here now, and that's what counts."

"And I brought someone to meet you," said Aldis as he ushered Melaina forward. "Uncle, this is Princess Melaina, Eldest daughter of Kaeden."

Gaius smiled warmly at her. "It's a pleasure to be properly introduced, even though you were here yesterday as well, if only briefly."

Melaina returned his smile. "It's a pleasure to meet Sir Aldis's uncle, and Camelot's court physician.

"So, uncle," said Aldis, "what has your life been like in the many years since we last talked?"

"Oh, about as exciting as my craft can be," answered the elderly man.

"Sounds… thrilling," Aldis said as he sat down on the table bench. Melaina followed suit, and Gaius returned to brewing his concoctions. "Still living all alone?"

"Actually, no." Gaius answered. His nephew tilted his head in surprise. Had his uncle finally found a woman? Why hadn't he been informed of this? "For the past eight years, I've had a ward who is also my apprentice."

"A ward?"

"Yes, a ward. His name's Merlin, and most the time, he's more trouble than he's worth."

That caught Melaina's attention. There could only be so many people named Merlin in one castle.

"The king's manservant?" she voiced.

Both men looked over to her.

"That would be one of his jobs, yes," confirmed Gaius.

"One?" asked the princess.

"As I mentioned before, he is both my ward and apprentice," explained the old man, "which means he runs many different errands for me, as well as a list of chores each day."

"A busy young man," commented Aldis.

A short chuckle came from Gaius's mouth. "Sometimes I think he puts a little too much on his plate."

Melaina mulled that over. _So not only the personal servant to the king,_ she thought, _but also apprentice and ward to the court physician._ By looking at him, one would never guess he was either of those three. _Maybe there_ is _more to him than meets the eye…_

* * *

"I believe we have this very well outlined," said Arthur, reading down the list before him. Across the table from him, sat Balinor, who skimmed down a similar list of his own. "With any luck, today's meeting will go by fast."

Balinor nodded in agreement. "I swear, it's always the first day that's the slowest, because nobody knows where to start from."

There would be two sessions today. The first would go from the ninth hour until noon, then after a break for lunch, the second would start one hour after noon, and go to the fourth hour.

The two men stood. The first session would be beginning within the next forty minutes. Both king and foreign prince would need to start making their way to the council chambers soon.

"Arthur, I must say; I'm quite looking forward to working with you on this treaty," said the prince.

"And I, you," replied Arthur.

With a warm smile, Balinor pushed his breakfast platter to the edge of the table. "I'll take my leave now, and let you finish preparing." He held out his hand.

Arthur nodded, and shook the outstretched hand. With that, Balinor left the King's chambers.

"He seems nice," said Merlin after a moment of silence. The raven-haired servant had been going about his daily routine while the two royals were talking, walking in and out of the bed chambers via the servant's door, so as not to interrupt their conversation.

Arthur rolled his eyes as he walked to his desk. "You're lucky today _Mer_ lin, I'm not going to make you stand through the council meetings."

The manservant silently rejoiced over that news. Maybe now, he'd be able to catch up on his chores for Gaius, or even have some more free time again today.

"But that doesn't mean you have the day off," said the king.

Merlin's face fell. He had been Arthur's servant for eight years now. He knew what was coming next.

"I want my floors swept and mopped, I want my shelves dusted, I want my desk organized, I want my armor polished, I want my sword sharpened, I want my speech for the final night feast written, and I want my second pair of boots polished. And do make sure to bring me my lunch at noon."

"What about your first pair of boots?" Merlin asked innocently.

"I'm _wearing_ them, _Mer_ lin."

"So that's a no?"

Arthur stared at his servant for a solid five seconds before shaking his head. "You are such an _idiot_ sometimes."

"Well, it's better than being a royal prat," retorted the manservant.

Even though he was turned away from him, Merlin could feel Arthur glaring daggers into his back. "Oh, I almost forgot!" said the king in mock-surprise, "My horses need mucking out, too."

* * *

 _Stupid Arthur and his stupid horses,_ Merlin thought to himself as he tossed another pitchfork-full of dirty straw onto the already large pile in the wheelbarrow. This was the chore he hated the most, and it was the one he most often ended up with. Arthur's personal stables were hot and stuffy. It was miserable to work in them, and he always ended up smelling of sweaty horse afterwards.

The manservant stuck his tool into the dirt and remaining straw that was the ground, and leaned up against it. "Well, at least I have you, my friend," he said to the horse nearest him. The horse responded with a nicker, and flicked his tale into Merlin's face.

Merlin let out a sigh of exasperation. He hated this chore.

* * *

It was a grumbling Merlin that walked into Gaius's quarters an hour later. The physician looked up from his book to watch his ward storm across the room, and into the small bedroom m on the other side. By the smell that followed the servant, he knew, that Merlin had just finished mucking out Arthur's horses. The old man chuckled to himself, and returned to reading. Oh, how his ward detested that specific chore…

Both Elyan and Gwain had been moved to their respective rooms a few hours before. Gaius had taken advantage of his empty chambers, and began doing something he hadn't in a long time; reading for pleasure. By the looks of it, his quite time for the day was through.

…

Ten minutes later, the warlock reappeared in the main room. Gaius looked up from the yellowing pages of his book.

"You cleaned up much faster than last time," the physician commented as his ward sat down at the table and began eating a slice of bread.

"Been working on that one spell," said Merlin as he swallowed a mouthful. "It makes cleaning myself much easier and faster."

"It looks like it," Gaius said as he placed a marker in his book and closed it. The old man stood, and walked to the table to join the young man already seated there. "I assume Arthur has given you quite the list of chores, what with you not attending to him in the council chambers right now."

Merlin let out a small groan. "You have no idea," he said as he took another bite.

Gaius softly chuckled. "I'm sure you will live."

"I think I will," agreed Merlin with a smile. "All I have left to do is sharpen his sword and polish his armor."

The physician raised an eyebrow. "It's barely afternoon. Surely, you had enough chores to at least last to the end of the second session."

The manservant's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Sometimes, magic is truly a wonderful thing."

Gaius shot him a disapproving look. "What have I told you about using your magic to cheat on your chores? What if somebody walked in and caught you in the act?"

Merlin shrugged. "Nobody but Arthur or Gwen would just _walk in_ to the king's chambers, and both of them are in a meeting. Besides, it helps me finish faster. I was hoping to get done early, so I could have a little free time before Arthur finished his meetings for the day."

The eyebrow was raised again. "You had plenty of free time yesterday."

"And I was hoping for more today," defended the warlock.

"And _what,_ pray tell, would you do with more free time? Openly do more magic?"

Merlin began picking small pieces off the remainder of his bread slice. "Well…umm…. I was wondering if maybe you'd finish the story from yesterday?" The young man looked hopefully to his mentor.

The physician was a little surprised at the request. Although, he should have seen it coming. His ward, after all, was a very curious man. Of course he wanted to finish the story! Merlin had lived his whole life oblivious to who his father is, to who _he_ really is. Gaius knew that Balinor wanted to be present when the truth was told, but Merlin was here now, requesting for the rest of the tale. The physician wouldn't wait make him wait any longer. He would tell him the truth. He deserved it. Besides, it would give Merlin some time to process the information.

"I would love to finish the story," said Gaius, his surprise morphing into a warm smile, which his ward enthusiastically returned. "Now, where did I leave off?"

"When my mother reached Ealdor," prompted Merlin.

"Ah, yes. When your mother reached Ealdor, she was at the point in her pregnancy where she couldn't travel anymore, so she stayed in the village until you were born. Her goal was to come to Camelot, to stay with me, but the villagers welcomed her so warmly, she decided to stay.

"She raised you by herself, without informing your father you had been born. In fact, Hunith had cut off all communication with her family, nobody had any idea where she was. I was the only exception," Gaius added.

"Why would she do that?" asked Merlin.

"As I said yesterday, her and your father were forbidden from having children, under penalty of death. She felt the best way to protect everyone she cared about was to keep them innocent of all knowledge.

"And… and what about… my father?"

"What about him?" asked Gaius.

"Who is he?" replied Merlin. "I know yesterday you said that he was a noble of Navenna, but who is he? At least give me a name."

Gaius chuckled under his breath. "Trust me Merlin. If you found the information I gave you yesterday hard to believe, you're going to think I'm telling you a fairy story. But I promise you, I'm not crazy."

The manservant gave the physician a questioning look. "…okay," he said.

"Your father, he was, _is_ , a very high-ranking noble. Truth be told, the only two higher than him, was his brother and father."

"And the royal family," added Merlin.

"Actually… no. Well, yes."

"No and yes?" asked the manservant, who was even more confused now.

Gaius let out a huff. "I am just going to say this bluntly."

"That is all I'm asking for," said Merlin.

The old man looked right into the brilliant blue eyes of his ward. "Merlin, your father… Is Prince Balinor."

* * *

A black raven flew in the open window, and landed on the stone sill. It cawed out loud, drawing attention from the group of men gathered within the room."

After a moment of silence, one man approached the bird, and untied the small note attached to its left leg. A swift as he could, the man crossed the room and handed the small folded paper to their leader. The cruel-looking man unfolded the parchment, and after one run through of the message, read it aloud.

"They never returned, the plan failed. We await further instruction."

Silence filled the room. Not even the bird made a noise.

"What now?" asked one of the men.

" _What now?"_ questioned the leader. "We continue on as before. The loss does not affect us. It was merely a test, to see how strong the castle security is. We now know it to be better than expected. I want an elite squad, four men, sent before the week is up, to replace the weak ones that failed. Camelot _will_ fall."

* * *

A/N: Yay! The reveal finally happened! I had so much fun writing this chapter, you guys don't even know! And once again, I have to thank all you amazing people who read this story, _especially_ those of you who leave a review. (They make me smile like an absolute idiot every time I read them!)

And I need to give a special shoutout to the amazing SunsetDawn420, who has begun translating this story so it can be posted onto other platforms! (The prologue and first chapter are already up!). You, my friend, are truly amazing!

Leave a review before you go? (They make my day!)


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm baaaaack! Even better, I've got another chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own jack.**

* * *

" _Your father… is Prince Balinor."_

Dead silence. That's what followed Gaius's answer to Merlin's question. The young man had frozen in his seat, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

"Merlin?" said Gaius, in attempt to get a response. "Merlin?" The old man waved a hand in front of his ward's face.

Nothing.

Had the truth sent the raven-haired servant into shock?

"MERLIN!" shouted Gaius as he slapped the table several times.

The young warlock inhaled deeply and blinked his cobalt blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" asked the elderly physician, slightly concerned for his ward.

"Yeah," Merlin answered quietly, "I just… wasn't expecting that."

Gaius gave him a comforting smile. "I'm sure you weren't." He let the information soak in. Merlin would talk when he was ready.

Merlin stared at the table, deep in thought. His father was _Prince Balinor_? How… how was that even possible? He was a _prince_ for goodness sake, twin brother to the king. There was no way he could believe this. Was Gaius _actually crazy_?

…And yet, everything Gaius had told him yesterday was true. Balinor was even there for it all, and had confirmed every last bit.

Merlin mentally gasped at that thought. _Balinor was there for it._ Did Balinor know he was his son? He must have, otherwise why would he and Gaius have told him a story about his mother the runaway noble?

 _But I thought Gaius said he never knew I was born,_ thought Merlin, _she had to leave once she found out she was expecting. She cut off all contact with everyone… wait… why did she have to leave?_

"Why did she have to leave?" Merlin asked in a near whisper.

"Pardon?" asked Gaius, who was still seated across from his ward.

"They were forbidden from having children. She had to leave. Why?" asked the warlock, at normal volume.

"Complications," said Gaius.

Merlin switched his gaze from the table to his mentor. That had not answered his question.

"The only thing that granted Kaeden right to the throne was the mere minutes between his and Balinor's birth. Kaeden felt that if his brother had children before him, it would challenge _his_ children's right to rule," explained the older man, "and because in Navenna, the line of succession follows the eldest and highest ranking male of the royal household, he didn't want to risk it."

"Oh," said Merlin, who had returned to staring at the table. _The line of succession follows the eldest and highest ranking male of the royal household._ Arthur's voice rang in his head. _"and because he has no sons, he's sending his eldest daughter."_

Merlin's breath caught in his throat. Did that mean what he thought it did?

"Gaius," he said, "I'm the son of a prince. A prince whose twin brother is a king. A king who has no sons."

The physician gave the servant a sympathetic look. "I see you've figured that out."

"Is that why he was here yesterday? To tell me he's my father?"

"Not originally, no," replied Gaius. "He came here to ask about your mother, inevitably leading to mentioning you."

Merlin processed that bit of information. "So until yesterday, he wasn't aware that I was alive?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Well, he knew you existed, but he didn't know _you_ existed."

"What does that even mean?" asked an emotionally confused warlock in a raised voice.

Gaius gave Merlin a warm and supporting smile. Merlin was bound to be upset about this new information. He was also going to be happy, shocked, and confused. It would be best to remain calm, and hope the manservant wouldn't do anything too irrational. "Why don't you ask him these questions yourself?" he asked in a patient voice.

At that, Merlin froze again. _Perhaps not the best suggestion to make,_ noted Gaius.

The physician rose from the table, and walked to his work bench. He grabbed two small bottles of liquid, and made his way back to the table.

"Why don't you make yourself useful?" he said a little louder than normal, hoping to snap Merlin out of his state. The physician set the bottles on the surface directly in front of his ward. "Take one to both Gwain and Elyan. It's pain medicine, and designed to make them sleep. And don't forget, you have to polish Arthur's armor, and sharpen his sword. Best make sure that's done before his meeting is."

Merlin silently nodded and rose, grabbing a bottle in each hand. He made his way to the door, still lost in his thoughts.

"Merlin," said Gaius, as the young man opened the door. Merlin paused. "Don't stress yourself out over this."

The warlock stood there for a second, and then carried on his way without acknowledging his mentor any further.

 _How can I not?_ he mentally asked himself.

* * *

Elyan's chambers were Merlin's first stop. After softly knocking on the door, he walked in. The knight in question was lying on his bed half asleep. His eyes fluttered open when Merlin pressed a hand against his forehead to check his temperature.

"Gaius sent some pain medicine," the manservant said in a low voice.

Elyan slightly nodded his head once to acknowledge him.

Merlin held the knight's head up as he drank the liquid within the bottle.

"Tastes rancid," Elyan quietly commented as he drifted off to sleep.

…..

Gwain was very much awake when Merlin entered his room.

"Ah, Merlin, how nice of you to stop by!" called out the drunkard knight in greeting, "What's in the bottle?" he asked, noticing the said item in the manservant's hand.

"Pain medicine," said Merlin as he uncorked it, and handed it to Gwain.

"This smells absolutely repulsive," said the knight after taking a whiff, " _why_ do I have to drink it?"

"Because it helps the pain go away," Merlin answered bluntly.

"So does a nice tankard of mead," retorted Gwain, "And it tastes better, too."

"Gaius said no alcohol until he clears you," replied the manservant in a flat voice.

Gwain let out a little huff. "How am I supposed to pass the time I'm confined to this bed?"

"Read a book?"

The knight looked at Merlin. "Do I look like a scholar to you?" Merlin shrugged as he began heading to the door. Gwain could tell something was wrong. The king's manservant usually was all smiles, but so far, he was anything but. "You alright mate?"

"Yeah, just… tired," said Merlin as he opened the door. Gwain suspiciously watched him as he exited. The knight continued to stare at the door after it had been closed. He slowly raised the bottle to his lips and downed the nasty liquid within, trying his best not to gag on the taste.

Something was up, and he'd be damned if he didn't find out what.

* * *

 _Shick, shick, shick._

Merlin sat on a wooden crate in the armory, sharpening Arthur's sword. Early evening light filtered in through the windows. Beside him in a neat pile, was the king's armor. The manservant had been down here for hours, cleaning, polishing, and sharpening. The dull tasks were ones he'd done so many times, he didn't even need to think about what his hands were doing. It was all, in a way, muscle memory. Unfortunately, only his hands were kept busy, leaving his mind empty to wander as it pleased.

 _Shick_

Merlin was glad he was alone. It gave him the ability to think without being interrupted, which was just what he needed. It wasn't every day one found out he was the son of a prince, and nephew to a king.

 _Shick_

 _Why?_ he thought bitterly, _why did this have to happen to him?_ He was perfectly content being the bastard son of a poor village woman, the ward and apprentice to Camelot's court physician, the personal manservant to her king. Wasn't having an all-important destiny enough? Now he had to deal with the fact that he was born with royal blood in his veins, and that he wasn't the bastard child he was always teased of being. His mother wasn't even a village woman. She was nobility! Really rich nobility! Why couldn't his father just be some regular noble?

 _Shick_

And the best part of all of that; his uncle the King of Navenna, wanted him dead. Well, he would if he knew of Merlin's existence. He was the reason his mother left Navenna, the reason Merlin had grown up the way he had. The reason his parents had been separated for over twenty-five years. All because he wanted to keep his throne.

 _Shick_

Merlin sighed and looked at one of the windows. The warm golden lighting suggested that it was getting late. Soon it would be time to bring Arthur his dinner. Setting the sword on the rack right next to him, the manservant rose. He'd hidden from everyone for long enough. It was slowly driving him insane, sitting down here without someone to distract him from his thoughts.

The warlock made his way up the stairs leading out of the armory, and down the halls until he came to the main corridor. He continued to walk until he came to the main doors, and exited into the courtyard. He really had no destination in mind.

Servants and courtiers alike milled around. Merlin had to admit, it was quite the pleasant evening. He took a seat on the far left side of the bottom stair, staying as far out of the way as he could. The manservant released a deep breath.

"Why can't anything be simple?" he asked aloud.

"Pardon?" asked a voice from above.

The manservant glanced over his shoulder. Coming down the stairs was a Navennan knight.

"Oh, nothing," said Merlin. He hadn't realized there was anybody close enough to here him. "Just talking to myself."

The knight continued to stand there, studying the young man before him and pondering that response.

Much to Merlin's surprise, the blue-caped knight sat himself on the stair next to the manservant.

"Are you sure about that, my friend?"

Merlin looked at the knight. If the warlock had to guess, he'd say he was older than Leon. He had brown hair and warm eyes. It was then that Merlin suddenly realized; this was one of the knights from the marketplace. "You called me friend," said Merlin, "but I don't know you."

The knight smiled. He could tell that statement translated to ' _I'm a servant, I'm below you'._ "Ah, but the notion of friendship was extended when you decided to talk aloud to yourself, and I was the only one around to hear." Seeing the confusion written on the young man's face, he added, "You look like you need someone to vent to. One mustn't keep such weight on his shoulders. I was on my way to the tavern, but it seems your needs outweigh mine at the moment."

Merlin took a deep breath, and before he realized it, began to speak. "I found out today that almost my entire life has been a lie. It's been quite stressful, trying to wrap my head around it."

" I can imagine," said the knight. He extended a hand. "By the way, I'm Aldis."

"Merlin," said the servant, clasping the hand.

"Merlin? As in, Gaius's ward?" asked Aldis.

"Yeah," Merlin answered.

Aldis nodded thoughtfully. Judging by the mentally worn-out young man before him, the physician had been right when he said his ward put too much on his plate. Perhaps this was simply the exhaustive state talking. He might as well humor the young man. "Well then, Merlin, why has your life been a lie?"

"Well," started Merlin, "I grew up in a small village just on the Esstir side of the border. It was just me and my mother. I never knew my father, and I was okay with that. Mum and I, we were just fine on our own. About eight years ago, she sent me to Camelot to study under Gaius, because they were old friends, and she wanted better for me. My life was turned upside down, but in a good way. I made new friends, ended up in the stocks a few times, and accidentally became the personal manservant of the prince." he briefly summarized.

"How does one accidentally become the personal manservant of a prince?" asked Aldis, who had been quietly listening.

"By pushing him out of the way of a dagger thrown at him by an angry mother."

"…Oh, okay," said the knight with a nod, "Carry on."

"After all that happened, it seemed things were finally falling into place. Camelot was my new home. Everything was going great, up until this afternoon," said Merlin.

"Oh?"

"Gaius and I were talking, and he revealed some things he'd kept secret from me for the eight years I've been here, and my mother for the twenty-five years I've been alive."

"And what would that be?" questioned Aldis.

A sad smile crossed the warlocks face. "He told me who my father was."

"And that upset you?" said Aldis, slightly confused. The knight couldn't fathom why such delightful information would anger someone.

"Yes… well, no. I was more of the fact that the truth was… _incredibly_ surprising, and it had been hidden from me all of my life."

The knight mentally chewed on that answer. Merlin looked at him from the corner of his eye. He had a fairly good idea about who this knight was. After all, Gaius had given him the names yesterday, and Balinor had confirmed that they were here with him.

"I can see how such a reveal would upset you," said the knight, "But I find that it's best to let surprises as such roll off your shoulders. After all, he is your father."

"I guess you're right," admitted Merlin.

"Well, I tend to be," Aldis said with a smile. "Why don't you give him a chance? It may even help you come to terms with the matter much easier."

Merlin thought for a second. "I think I'd like that."

Aldis smiled, and patted Merlin on the back. "See, nothing you need to fret over!"

"I suppose so," said Merlin with a small smile of his own. "Gaius even mentioned you earlier."

"He did?" asked the knight, "Well, of course he did, I am his favorite."

Merlin chuckled. "I can assure you, that was not the reason."

The knight looked at the servant next to him, the question obvious in his eyes.

 _Am I ready for this?_ Merlin asked himself. Was he ready to tell this man before him who he was? Was he ready to accept it himself?

Now was as good of a time as any.

"Hi," said Merlin, holding out his hand, "I'm Merlin, Hunith's son."

Aldis stared at him, dumbfounded. After a moment, the knight regained his composure.

" _That's_ why you look so familiar!"

* * *

 **A/N: Please don't kill me for ending here. I have so much to live for!**

 **Anyway… thank you so much to everyone who followed or favorited, and especially to those who reviewed! You guys are amazing! Speaking of reviews… leave one before you go?**

 **Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: To everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed: Thank you so very much! You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

The young servant on the step next to him stared at his face, clearly debating what he was going to say next.

 _He looks so bloody familiar,_ thought Aldis, _I know him, but from where?_

Yes, he realized that this was the young man who had, quite literally, ran into his brother at the market yesterday, but even then, he had pondered over the sense of déjà vu he got from looking at the dark-haired servant. In fact, Aldis had been trying to figure out the answer through their entire conversation. It was driving him crazy not knowing.

"Hi," said the servant, finally speaking again. Aldis noted the slight waver in his voice as he held out his hand.

"I'm Merlin." The waver was gone, replaced by… confidence?

"Hunith's son."

Aldis froze. _Hunith._ Now _that_ was a name he hadn't heard in a long while, and sitting next to him was… _Hunith's son?_ Hunith, his sister, the woman he would do anything to protect. _Her son._ She had a _son._ Hunith had a was he not notified of this? When did she go off and give birth? Who was the fath… _Balinor._

The father was Balinor, Crown Prince of Navenna, the only man his sister had ever loves, and the young man was the spitting image of him. Aldis recovered from his slight shock.

" _That's_ why you look so familiar!" he said, thrilled to finally have an answer to the question that had been pestering him.

Merlin cast a sideways glance at him. He had to admit, that was definitely not the response he thought he was going to get. Perhaps confusion, maybe a little anger, but not that.

"You look near identical to him," Aldis explained, "Except for the eyes… and the age. I have been trying to figure out where I've seen you before, but I know we've never met before yesterday when you ran into Garnet." He let out a satisfied breath. "I now feel content with my lot in life."

Merlin let out a short chuckle. "Glad to be of assistance."

Aldis looked at his nephew. _Goodness, it feels weird to think of him as that,_ thought the knight.

Aldis knew that most men in this situation would demand proof and an explanation for such a claim, but oddly enough, he didn't. He only felt the need to welcome him into the family, and to see what kind of a person he was, to get to know Merlin. There was only one proper way to do that. "Merlin, how would you like to accompany me, your mother's _favorite_ brother, to the tavern? I feel as if we have to do some some 'getting to know each other'. Drinks on me, of course."

For the first time in hours, a true smile found its way onto the manservant's face. Sir Aldis, knight of Navenna, _his uncle,_ had accepted him, _just like that._ No questions, no denials, just _acceptance._ "I think I'd like that," he said, even though he wasn't really one for the tavern. Magic and drinking don't really mix.

The two men rose to their feet.

"Excellent!" exclaimed the knight.

The two hadn't even stepped off of the stairs before they heard talking coming loudly from the doors above them.

"Have you seen Merlin at all recently?" said a voice the young warlock knew only too well.

Merlin mentally slapped himself. How could he forget? He couldn't just wander off to the tavern, not when he had a royal prat to attend to.

"He went out into the courtyard about half an hour ago, sire," answered one of the guards stationed at the door."

Merlin turned to Aldis. "How about I meet you down there?"

The knight nodded his agreement as the king of Camelot appeared at the top of the staircase. "I believe that would be best."

" _Mer_ lin, where the hell have you been?" declared Arthur as he began descending.

"Well, I will leave you to it," said Aldis as he patted the manservant on the shoulder, and then walked away.

Arthur stopped when he reached his servant. He cast a confused glance at the retreating back of the Navennan knight. " _Why_ were _you_ talking to a member of the delegation?"

Merlin shrugged. "He wanted to know where the tavern was."

"Of course, _you_ would know where that is," said Arthur under his breath. "But back to my first question; Where have you been? Do you _realize_ what time it is?"

"Well," started the manservant, "At first I was in the armory, but then I finished there, so I came out here to enjoy this pleasant evening, but right when I was about to go back inside, a knight came up, and asked where the tavern was. Where have you been?" he added, as innocently as he could

The young king glared at him. "Go get my dinner. Bring it to my chambers."

Merlin ducked his head to hide a smile. "Yes, sire."

With that, the manservant did as he was told. He was very determined to finish his evening chores with all haste.

* * *

There was a gentle knock on Prince Balinor's door. The dark-haired man looked up from the document he was reading.

"Enter," he called out, wondering who it was.

The door opened as the visitor let herself in, and gently closed it behind her.

"Melaina," said Balinor in greeting as he set down the paper and rose from his seat at the small table, "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Can't a niece come visit her uncle without a reason?" she asked, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile.

Balinor returned to his seat, folding his hands on the table before him. His warm, brown eyes were lit up with amusement. "I suppose so, yes, but knowing you as well as I do, there is a reason."

Melaina stood still for a moment, before seating herself opposite of her uncle. "Well, you see," she began. Balinor chuckled. "I've done some wandering through the castle, and met several of the staff." The prince nodded, expecting as much. Melaina continued, fidgeting with her skirts under the table. "They're all wonderful people, and very helpful, but…" she trailed off, suddenly very unsure of how to continue. She was already a bit nervous to begin with, and she knew she had to approach this topic carefully.

"But," Balinor prompted.

"But there is one servant, I'm very… unsure of."

"Unsure?" said Balinor, the question evident on his face. "How so?"

"Well," said Melaina, "I've crossed paths with him twice now, and he seems friendly enough…"

"He?" questioned the prince, a hint of fatherly concern in his voice, even though he was just an uncle. "This serving boy isn't causing you trouble, is he?"

"Oh, no," said Melaina, reassuring him, "On the contrary, he's more of a mystery to me, if anything. I was hoping you might help me solve it."

Balinor relaxed, happy that he wouldn't have to find this serving boy and teach him a lesson. "How is he a mystery?"

"As I said before, he and I have crossed paths twice now. Both times, we've had short, civil conversations. And, as I've also mentioned, he seems friendly enough."

"And the mystery part?" asked Balinor, knowing full well his niece was nowhere near finished with her 'evidence' to this 'case'.

Melaina inhaled deeply. "There's something inside telling me that there is _much_ more to him that meets the eye, and I feel almost compelled to trust him." Balinor leaned back in his chair. This was quite interesting, indeed. "But, the most puzzling part of all," continued the princess, "Is the fact that every time I look at him, I get hit with this awful sense of déjà vu. It's like I've seen him before, but I know for a fact that I haven't."

Melaina looked at her uncle. At her last statement, he had raised both of his eyebrows. She felt a little guilty about lying with that last bit. She knew very well where she had seen Merlin before, Melaina just wanted her suspicions to be confirmed.

"And who might this particular servant be?" asked Balinor, "Would I know who it is at all?"

"Quite possibly," said Melaina. "He's King Arthur's manservant. Merlin's his name, I believe."

The princess watched her uncle closely. He had been trained all of his life to hide both emotions and reactions, but that didn't stop the surprise that lit up in his eyes, or his near-silent intake of breath. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again.

"That is indeed a mystery," he said, in perfect control of his voice and facial features.

"So you would have no idea why this is happening, no advice?" she asked, trying to get more out of him.

"Unfortunately, no," said Balinor, "but I do wish you the best of luck."

With a huff of frustration, Melaina stood. She knew he had said as much as he would. "I just want answers," she muttered in exasperation as she exited the room.

Balinor remained frozen in place until the door closed behind her. After it did, he took a deep breath and bent forward to lean on the table, resting his hands on his temples. He could tell she was onto him. She knew he had answers, and he hated not giving them to her. But, he did have his reasons.

There was no way that she was going to find out about Merlin, until the young man found out about himself. He had the right to know first. After all, the truth had been hidden from him all of his life. No, Melaina would have to wait her turn, whether she liked it or not.

Not only that, but he needed to be absolutely sure she wouldn't go off and tell her father. All of her life, Melaina had been cast aside by him, and had always tried her hardest to gain his attention and affections.

Balinor was also slightly worried about Merlin. Melaina had been able to figure out there was something familiar about him in less than two days. Gaius had talked about how the only difference between the two of them was eye color and age. His niece hadn't known him all those years ago, when he was the same age as his son, but almost all of the knights who had accompanied them, did, even if a few were only squires back then. What's to say that they wouldn't start making connections of their own?

The prince did a mental run-through of the five Navennan knights. There was Sirs Aldis, Hywel, and Garnet, who he knew would never do anything to put Merlin in danger. He was, after all, their nephew, son to their youngest sibling and only sister.

After them came Sir Mereck. Balinor knew he was exceptionally loyal to Kaeden, and wouldn't hesitate to take Merlin out of the picture, or worse, report the young man to his king. He would have to keep an eye on him.

The final knight was Sir Halbrin. He was a young knight, on his first big mission, eager to prove himself. Aldis and Hywel had pretty much taken him under their wings. If it came down to it, Balinor knew he could count on the two of them to keep Hal quiet. But, it was unlikely that he would be a problem, seeing as he was about the same age as Arthur.

Balinor sighed as he leaned back in the chair. _Why is being a parent so complicated?_ he wondered. At least Merlin was oblivious to his parentage. That might just save him if questioned.

* * *

While humming a catchy tune, Merlin folded back Arthur's covers. The young king was over at the table eating his dinner, eyeing the manservant suspiciously.

Merlin turned to Arthur. "Will that be all for tonight, sire?" he asked.

Arthur bit a chunk out of his roll, and stared at the servant as he chewed. "Pray tell, _why_ are you so… happy?"

"Happy?" said Merlin, attempting to keep a straight face, but failing miserably, "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Perky, eager, cheerful," said Arthur as he continued eating.

"I know what happy means," replied the manservant.

"I know you're hiding something, _Mer_ lin."

The manservant raised a brow in question.

"For starters," said Arthur, swallowing another bite of bread, "You have that _ridiculous_ smile on your face, even though you're trying to hide it. Not only that, but I'm not even half done with my dinner, and you've already completed your evening chores."

"So you don't need anything else?"

"Well, no…" started Arthur.

"Great!" said Merlin, as he began heading to the door.

"Wait, Merlin, no, that is not what I…"

"I will see you in the morning, sire."

With that, Merlin grabbed his tray, still full of food, and left the room.

"Wait, MerLIN! I'M NOT DONE EATING!" shouted Arthur, outraged that his manservant would do such a thing.

The door cracked open, and Merlin's head popped back into the room.

"Yes you are," he said with a smile plastered on his face.

"MERLIN!" he yelled again as he threw the remaining roll in his hand at the manservant's head. Merlin ducked out of the room and closed the door, laughing to himself as he walked down the corridor. He knew he'd get punished for this, but it had been _so_ worth it. The look on the prat's face was priceless!

* * *

It was about a quarter of an hour after Merlin had left. Arthur stood, glaring out of his window that overlooked the courtyard. He was hungry, he was angry, and he was ready to throw his idiot of a manservant in the stocks until the Navennan delegation left. How dare Merlin take his dinner from him!

There was a soft tap on the door before it opened, and Gwen walked in.

"Arthur?" she asked, sensing his frustration.

The blonde grunted in reply. Gwen gave him a knowing look, and then crossed the room to stand beside him. She grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, and rested her head against his shoulder. "What's the matter?"

Arthur took a deep breath before answering. "Merlin took my dinner!" he said, sounding much like a whining child. Gwen had to fight to keep her face strait. "And I know for a fact he's hiding something from me, which was why he was so eager to get away for the night."

"And he took your dinner and hasn't come back?" she said, wavering on the verge of laughter.

"Yes! The idiot took my plate out from under my nose, and left, saying I was done. I wasn't even half finished!"

"Maybe he had somewhere to be?" Gwen suggested.

"Merlin? Somewhere to be?" Arthur let out a short laugh. "Guinevere, don't be ridiculous."

She shrugged. "You never know."

"No, I do," said Arthur, still staring out the window, "I know Merlin better than anybody else. He doesn't…" Arthur's voice trailed off as a movement caught his eye. Down below, someone was moving across the courtyard to the main gate. He would know that person anywhere. It was _Merlin._

"Where's he going?" Arthur muttered quietly, moving to get a better look outside.

"Like I said," said Gwen, "somewhere to be."

"But where?" questioned Arthur, leaning up against the windowsill.

"I haven't the slightest clue," answered Gwen. Arthur continued to stand there, intensely looking out of the window.

Gwen couldn't help but smile. She knew Arthur would never admit it, but he counted Merlin as one of his closest friends. It was irritating him not knowing something about his servant, especially because he prided himself on knowing everything about him. She shook her head. Sometimes her husband was so ridiculous.

"Would you like me to go and get you some more food?" she asked, hoping that eating might help him relax a little.

Arthur turned to look at her. "That would be wonderful."

Gwen smiled at him as she turned to leave. Arthur smiled back, wondering what he'd done to deserve such a wonderful wife.

The door shut behind her, and Arthur turned back to the window, gazing out at the now deserted courtyard. Merlin may have managed to weasel his way out of talking tonight, but there was no way Arthur was going to let him do the same come morning.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there ya go, hope you guys liked it! I really enjoyed writing this one! I was happy to be able to squeeze some Arthur in there, I feel like we haven't seen much of him.**

 **The plot bunnies have run wild! I Intended this story to be, like, ten, maybe fifteen chapters long, but then the bunnies attacked and now I have _so_ much more planned for this. (I just hope I can focus on school work with my brain wanting to focus on this!)**

 **Once again, thank you so much to all you wonderful people who followed, favorited, and reviewed. Without y'all, the bunnies would have stayed caged. (I'm glad they didn't!) Speaking of reviews… you would be an absolutely amazing person if you left one!**

 **Until next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: What's this? Could it possibly be an update? I am sooooo sorry for how late this is, I really did intend to have it up two weeks ago, but, well… things really didn't go as planned. Thank you so much to all you wonderful readers who follow, favorited, and reviewed! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

* * *

A smile was plastered on Merlin's face as he walked through the town. Even though the light was fading to the gray of twilight, many people were still out, enjoying the beautiful evening. Young couples walked hand-in-hand as they took one last stroll before bed, while men filtered in and out of the tavern in various states of soberness.

The young warlock made his way to the two-storied building. The wooden sign above the entrance that read _The Rising Sun,_ gently swayed in the light breeze as he walked in the door, which had been propped open in hopes of coaxing some fresh air into the fairly stuffy room.

The smells of sweet ale and savory stew hit Merlin like a brick wall once he crossed the entryway. Voices chatted merrily all around him, with the occasional laugh echoing through the enclosed space.

" 'lo, Merlin!" called out the owner from behind the bar as he cleaned a cup with his rag.

The manservant raised his hand in acknowledgement, sending a smile his way. Taking another step further, he scanned the crowded room, looking for the friendly face of Sir Aldis, knight of Navenna. After a moment of searching, the knight caught his eye, and raised his tankard, motioning for Merlin to come join him. The young man nodded once, and wove his way through the tables, chairs, and people that filled the room. Somehow, he miraculously made it all the way through without stumbling or tripping.

Aldis had decided to occupy a table in the back corner of the room. It was a smaller one, only having room to seat two people, one on each side. There were two tankards on the table. Aldis held the handle of one, which was partially gone. The second was filled to the top, and in front of the vacant chair. The young servant guessed that it was for him.

"Well, it's about time you showed up," said Aldis when Merlin entered hearing range, "I was beginning to think you'd had second thoughts."

Merlin chuckled as he sat down in the empty chair. "Believe me, I got out of there as fast as I could."

"What all did you have to do? King Arthur seemed both frustrated and relieved to see you," said Aldis as he took a swallow of his drink.

"I brought him dinner," the servant answered simply, and then took a sip of his own drink.

"Ah, it all makes sense now! I, too, would be relieved to see the person who brings me my meals." Aldis took another sip. "But that doesn't explain the frustrated part."

"I was late bringing him dinner."

"That makes sense, too," said Aldis with a thoughtful nod. "Did he give you a hard time for it?"

Merlin shook his head. "Nah, he was too busy eating. That, and he dismissed me quite a bit sooner than he usually does."

"What sort of special occasion merited that?"

Merlin smiled at the memory, knowing he wouldn't forget Arthur's facial expression any time soon "He finished his dinner quite quickly, and there were no other chores for me to do."

"And now you are here, with me, your favorite uncle," said Aldis setting his tankard on the table. "Now, tell me about you. And your mother. How is she?"

The raven-haired servant smiled. "She's doing good. She sends letters every so often, so even though I don't get to see her that much, we still keep in touch."

"That's more than she did with us," Aldis muttered to himself as he raised his drink to his mouth.

"Sorry?" asked Merlin, not catching what the knight had said.

"Oh, nothing," said Aldis. "She really never told you anything about, well, _you_?" He motioned to the warlock.

Merlin shook his head. "I think she wanted to keep the past in the past. Maybe she would've eventually. Maybe she didn't want me to have such a big secret to hide." _After all,_ thought Merlin, _I already had so much to keep hidden._

"Well, she was on the run," added Aldis with a shrug, "Probably was easier to never talk about it, to prevent her from being found."

Merlin nodded in agreement to that. In a small village like Ealdor, secrets tended to never stay secret for long. Putting her heart and soul into the act that she was a poor peasant woman, and mother to a bastard child, was the safest thing to do. But, Ealdor wasn't even in Navenna, and the small village was nowhere near the border of the kingdom. It was common knowledge that both Navenna and Esstir weren't on the friendliest terms. Why would Hunith worry about being tracked down?

"Why would she be concerned about that, though," asked Merlin, voicing his thoughts, "Would… the king really put that much effort into finding her?"

Aldis looked Merlin in the eye, his carefree demeanor suddenly disappearing. "He would do anything he possibly could to make sure she never saw the light of day again. If he ever found out that you _exist,_ Kaeden Ambrosius wouldn't rest until your head was brought to him on a silver platter."

Merlin's gaped at that. "What did I ever do to him?" he asked, a little unnerved at the thought of it all.

"It's not _what_ you did," said Aldis, "It's what you're going to _do._ "

 _What I'm going to do?_ Merlin silently wondered. "… ok," he said, clearly confused, "and what would that be?"

Half of Aldis' mouth twitched into a smile as he leaned back in his chair, his laid back personality returning. "I think I'll let your father discuss that with you."

Merlin froze at the idea of talking to his father.

Aldis look at his nephew in disbelief. "Oh, don't tell me you're scared senseless by good old Bal! He's one of the kindest, nicest, smartest, and scariest people I know!"

"Scariest?" questioned the manservant.

"Hey, you try telling him who he can and can't court." Merlin laughed a little at that. "But really," continued the knight, "You have nothing to fear from him. I've known him for as long as I can remember. At one point, we were brother-in-laws. Actually, I guess we still are, seeing as he and your mother never stopped being married… but that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say, is that I know he would absolutely _love_ to talk with you, and get to know you. Which is why we are here, come to think of it. For me, though, not him."

Merlin raised an eyebrow, an expression he'd picked up from Gaius.

Aldis took another draft of ale. "So, now that we've covered that cheery topic, tell me about you."

"Um…" said Merlin, currently drawing a blank, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," declared Aldis with a look of determination on his face.

"Um…" the young warlock said again, "My name's Merlin, I'm 25, and I'm the personal manservant to King Arthur."

"You don't say?" asked Aldis as sarcastically as he physically could.

Merlin shrugged. "There really isn't that much to me."

Aldis scoffed. "I find _that_ hard to believe, what with the parentage you have…" the knight trailed off. "What's your favorite color?"

"Huh?" asked Merlin.

"What's your favorite color?" Aldis asked again.

"Uhhh… blue?"

The knight let out a short laugh. "Is that an answer or a question?"

Merlin couldn't help but smile. "Blue, my favorite color is blue."

"That is such a dull and generic answer," said Aldis, "What _kind_ of blue? There are many, you know."

"A dark blue," said Merlin, "like my shirt." The manservant indicated to the garment covering his torso.

"Alright," said the knight with an approving nod, "We are making progress! Favorite chore?"

"There is no such thing," replied the servant.

Aldis smiled. "Fair enough. _Least_ favorite?"

"Mucking out the horses," said Merlin without missing a beat, "Or cleaning the leech tank. They're both horrible."

"Do you actually enjoy being a servant, or do you just tolerate it?"

"There's nothing I would rather do," Merlin replied, taking a second sip of his drink.

"What about practicing medicine? Eventually, someone will have to replace Gaius. I'd say with being his apprentice, you're a prime candidate."

"I do enjoy the physician's trade, but I don't know if I could make a career out of it," admitted Merlin.

"See, that wasn't that hard, now was it?" Asked the knight.

"What do you mean?" questioned the raven-haired manservant.

"Well," started Aldis, "I asked you five questions, and now I know that your favorite color is a dark blue, like the color of your shirt, you don't have a favorite chore, but you do have two contenders for a least favorite, which are mucking out the horses, or cleaning the leech tank. You enjoy Gaius's work, but would rather be a servant above all else, which, I must say, is quite interesting."

"You wouldn't be the first," said Merlin as he, too, leaned back.

Aldis studied the young man before him. He couldn't help but feel like there was more to Merlin, more than what met the eye. Of course, with a dragonlord as a father, and an extraordinary woman for a mother, it was to be expected. The knight just hoped he could figure it, whatever _it_ is, out by the time he departed from Camelot in two weeks.

He switched his gaze to the tankard in front of Merlin. It was still quite full.

"You've barely drank anything, boy!" he exclaimed.

The raven-haired servant shrugged. "I've never really been the type to drink a lot." _That's how magical accidents happen,_ he added in his head.

"Hasn't the stress from your job driven you to it?"

Merlin shook his head and smiled, "Not quite. The majority of the time I'm here, I don't even drink. I have to keep track of knights who've had a little too much themselves." Memories of the many times he had to drag Gwain out of the tavern after the drunkard had consumed too much filtered through his head.

"Merlin," said Aldis, "You are the human form of a twig. Why are you the one who has to keep track of drunk men who weigh almost twice as much as you, and are at _least_ that much stronger?"

The young man shrugged again. "I've learned not to question it."

"Alright then," accepted the knight. "But, before either of us leave, you are going to finish that tankard."

* * *

It was much later that night when Merlin stumbled back into the physician's quarters. True to his word, Aldis prevented the young warlock from leaving until the last drop had been drained from his tankard. Little did the knight know, but a fair bit of Merlin's drink had somehow magically disappeared.

But, even though he hadn't consumed the entire beverage, Merlin's head felt fuzzy. From experience, he knew it would be worse in the morning.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd get back."

Merlin looked up, and scanned the room until his gaze landed on Gaius. The old man was seated at the table, with his elbows propped on top of the surface, and his hands folded together. He hadn't even noticed him.

"Gaius," said Merlin as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I didn't think you'd be up this late."

"I could say the same about you," came the reply, the accusation it implied extremely obvious.

The two stared at each other, the older with a raised eyebrow, the younger attempting to look completely innocent, but miserably failing.

"I… erm… was taking a nighttime stroll."

"Indeed," said the physician, clearly not buying it.

Merlin sighed. "I was at the tavern."

"With who?" asked Gaius, a little surprised at the answer, "Gwain is still confined to his bed, and Arthur and the other knights never go this early in the week."

"Friends?" tried the manservant.

"I stand by my earlier statement," said the elderly man.

Merlin closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. It was hard enough to come up with excuses that his mentor would believe whilst sober, attempting to do so after drinking was something else entirely – not to mention the incredibly long and trying day he'd had. He just wanted to go to bed. Couldn't the accusations and interrogations wait until morning?

Gaius, sensing the exhaustive state of his ward, switched gears. "The main reason I am still up, is to talk with you. We didn't part on the best terms this afternoon. I fear I may have made the wrong decision, letting you leave with your head in such a state."

Merlin opened his eyes and looked to the man who had been his father in everything but blood for over eight years. "No, it's what I needed," he said, reassuring the old man. "Being alone gave me time to think. At first I was feeling so many emotions, I wasn't sure what to do. There was a point, where I was so livid, I considered leaving. But now, I realize everything was done to protect my mother. To protect _me_."

Gaius felt a surge of both pride and relief. Not only had Merlin accepted the truth, he had done so in an extremely mature way. "I am happy to hear your feelings towards the matter have changed," said the physician with a fatherly smile.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," said the young man, "I am still very angry that something so major had been kept from me for the twenty-five years I've been alive."

Gaius nodded his head. "That's to be expected, my boy. I'm sure you're feeling more than just anger."

A sheepish smile found its way onto the servant's face. "Yeah."

The physician rose from his seat and walked over to his ward, studying the warlock's face. "So you really did go to the tavern." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Merlin stared at his mentor in disbelief. "You though I was lying to you?"

Gaius shrugged. "You were in a fairly emotional state when you left, who knows if you actually went to the tavern?"

"And what makes you suddenly believe me?"

"Your eyes are dilated, and I can smell the tavern on you," stated the physician.

"Yes, I went to the tavern," said Merlin, suddenly feeling quite tipsy. "And I know I will wake up with a headache. Can you have some of that hangover cure you make ready in the morning?"

Gaius eyed his ward. "Exactly how much ale did you consume?"

"Only about half a tankard," admitted Merlin.

Gaius continued to stare. "You are such a _lightweight_ ," he finally said, sounding somewhat disappointed, as he turned away.

Merlin yawned. "G'night Gaius," he sleepily called over his shoulder as he made his way to his room.

* * *

The next morning, Merlin was greeted by a pulsing headache. He never really drank that much, and, judging by the fact that half a tankard of ale was enough to give him very unpleasant side effects, the warlock made a mental note to drink more, so he could build up an endurance.

Wouldn't Gwain be proud?

The manservant groaned as he rolled over onto his back, and sat up. On the bright side, he wouldn't have to deal with Arthur that much, seeing as there were more meetings for the king to attend today, following the same schedule from yesterday. It also meant he'd have plenty of time to be alone, and think. Perhaps he would be able to work up the nerve to go and talk to Balinor, because drinking with Aldis had made him very curious to who this man, _his father_ , actually was.

* * *

 **A/N: So, apparently Merlin had a change of heart overnight… the last scene sorta wrote itself when I was editing before I posted. I'm just gonna roll with it.**

 **Unfortunately, I have started school again, and because of that, I won't be able to update as frequently as I would like. Instead of weekly updates, as I did through the summer, I'm going to try and post a new chapter every two weeks or so, it just depends on the amount of studying I have to do.**

 **So on that happy note… leave a review before you go? Let me know what you thought of Merlin's night at the tavern with his Uncle! (Or even what you think will happen next. I love it when my readers take guesses!)**

 **Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So…. I haven't updated in a while… I do apologize for that, I did intend to have this up two weeks ago, but this awful thing known as life decided to interfere with my fanfiction time. Anyways… here's the next chapter, even if it's extremely late. Enjoy**!

* * *

As quietly as he could, Merlin pushed open the door to Arthur's chambers. The room was silent, save for the soft snores of the young king. The manservant set the tray in his hands- which was piled high with food -down on the table. For the first time in a while, he had a good feeling about the day to come.

Merlin had no clue where it came from, but as he woke up, he felt the need to go and talk to his father. Perhaps the visit to the tavern with Aldis had something to do with it. Spending the evening with the Navennan knight had most definitely helped the young warlock wrap his head around everything. By chance, did it boost his confidence, too?

The manservant walked the length of the room to the window, and flung open the heavy drapes.

"Rise and shine!" he said in a cheerful and overly loud voice. Merlin looked over his shoulder to Arthur, who was sprawled out on top of the giant bed in the room, still fast asleep. A mischievous grin spread across his face. Yes, the night out had, for sure, given him a little more confidence.

As silently as he had entered the room, Merlin crept over to the side of the bed, and bent over, so that his face was right next to Arthur's ear.

"RISE AND SHINE, YOU LAZY DAISY!" he yelled as loud as he could, ripping the sheets off of the sleeping king as he straitened his back.

Arthur jolted awake, and pushed himself out of bed, stumbling a little as his feet hit the cool stone floor. After a few seconds of confusion, he looked to his left, glaring at his manservant, who stood there holding an armload of bedding, with a goofy smile plastered to his face.

"What the _hell_ was that for?!" demanded Arthur.

Merlin shrugged. "You were asleep, so I woke you up. It is part of my job."

"Yes, _Mer_ lin, shouting in my ear and ripping off my sheets is part of your job," said Arthur in annoyance.

"You know, you are really an unpleasant person in the morning," commented the manservant as he began making the bed.

Arthur glared at him for a moment longer before making his way to the table where his breakfast sat waiting.

Just like the night before, Arthur watched his servant suspiciously as he ate. In fact, Merlin seemed much perkier than Arthur had seen him in a while, last night included. Whatever he had snuck off to do had obviously change his demeanor completely. In all of his experience, there was only one thing that the young king knew of that could do such a thing to a man.

"What's her name?" said Arthur casually as he swallowed a mouthful of food.

Merlin looked up from his current chore. "What?"

"The girl you went to see last night, what's her name?"

The manservant stared at the king in confusion. "Huh?"

"There's no point in pretending you don't know what I'm talking about, _Mer_ lin."

"I'm not pretending," assured Merlin.

Arthur waved a hand at his servant, dismissing the statement. "If you don't want to tell me, I understand. But just know, I usually find out what I want, and you can't keep a secret to save your life."

Merlin let out a quite chuckle. "Yeah, something like that."

An awkward silence filled the room as the two stared at each other, neither willing to cower away from the other's gaze first.

"So are you going to tell me her name?" asked Arthur, breaking the silence.

" _There is no girl_ ," replied Merlin, almost immediately.

Arthur skeptically raised his eyebrows. "Then where did you sneak off to last night?"

The question caught Merlin off-guard, causing him to make the mistake of hesitating before answering. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, you see, Merlin, I had plenty of time to think last evening, what with how _quickly_ you got all of your chores done. And, as I was thinking, I happened to look out of my widow, which overlooks the courtyard. Do you know what I saw when I looked out that window?" asked Arthur, nodding in the direction of the window.

The manservant shook his head, having a bad feeling about the direction this conversation was turning.

"I saw my personal manservant leaving the castle," Arthur continued. "And at first, I thought that he was gathering herbs for Gaius, but then, I realized that he couldn't be, because he didn't have the herb basket in his hands. So, I stood there pondering about what my manservant could possibly be up to. Do you have any ideas, _Mer_ lin?"

The raven-haired man stood there slightly dumbfounded. Somehow, Arthur had managed to back him into a corner, and there was no easy way out.

"I have no idea on how to respond to that," said Merlin, attempting to remove all signs of surprise and nervousness from his voice and facial expression. After all, it wasn't the Prat's business, and if he found out about _who_ he had spent the evening with and _why_ he had been with that particular person… it would be a very awkward -and potentially life-threatening- situation.

" That's obvious," stated Arthur as he rose from the table, finished with his breakfast. He walked past Merlin on his way to the changing screen, behind which the manservant had laid out clothing for the young king.

Merlin continued to stare at the chair where Arthur had been seated. Things were definitely going to be tricky these next few days, and there was only so much one warlock could do.

* * *

"I am going to tell you exactly what I've told all of your other friends," said Leon in a cool voice, "If you answer my questions, then we won't have to… force them out of you. Trust me when I say it will be best for all involved."

Leon and three other knights were in a small, windowless room, which was tucked into a corner of the dungeon. Leon sat in a chair, resting his folded hands on the wooden table before him, with the two of the red-capes standing on either side of him. The third stood on the opposite side of the table, next to where the victim of the interrogation sat chained to a second chair.

"Now," Leon continued, staring down the man, "what business did you and your three accompanists have sneaking around the castle, and more specifically, the Noble's wing?"

The mercenary's face twisted into a grin, his cold eyes trained on the knight. "Why, to kill a noble, of course. It is how folks like me make a living."

"Which noble?" asked Leon, knowing very well who it was.

Being Arthur's second-in-command, Leon was supposed to be upstairs with his royal highness, sitting through the current meeting for the treaty. But, because he was also the highest ranking knight besides the king himself, the job fell to him to interrogate the group of mercenaries who had broken into the castle on the night of the welcoming feast. Leon had already dealt with two of them, and was now onto the third. Based on the information given to him by the first couple, he knew exactly whose name was going to be said.

"The king himself, Arthur Pendragon." The brute of a man leaned back in his chair as much as the chains would allow him, the same smug smile still on his face.

"That's quite a bold move, attempting to assassinate a king," Leon said casually, as if he was having a conversation with a friend.

The mercenary shrugged. "The pay was good."

"And who exactly was paying?" asked the knight.

A look of absolute fear briefly flashed across the man's face. "Someone who doesn't like others opposing him," he answered vaguely.

"Why does he want King Arthur dead?" Leon asked, a hint of anger in his voice. Not much- just enough to hopefully intimidate the man before him.

"Because he opposed him," came the simple reply.

"Who is he?" Leon asked again, wanting to get the interrogation over with.

The mercenary didn't respond. Just like the other two, he refused to give any names, and seemed to be somewhat afraid of the person they worked for.

" _Who is he_?" Leon demanded, with much more force and authority in his voice. "Do not make me ask again," he added after a few moments of silence from the brute.

"Who sent you to kill my king?" Inquired Leon, in a calm, but deadly voice. He knew the man could sense the rage and venom in it. But, just like before, he continued to stay silent.

"Very well then," said Leon. He nodded to the knight standing beside the mercenary. A loud _thud_ bounced off the stone walls of the room as the knight took a swing at the mercenary's face. And another. And another. After the red-cape had landed several well-placed punches, Leon motioned for him to stop.

Leon studied the man before him. Most likely, he'd have a pair of black eyes in the next hour or so, and by the looks of it, his nose was broken. There was a cut on his cheek, just below his eye, where the knight's knuckles had struck. Most admirably, though, noted Leon, was the fact that he hadn't made a single sound through the brief beating.

"Who hired you?" Asked Leon, after he had finished his observations.

Again, nothing.

"I don't know if you can tell, but I have little patients to spare right now. Who sent you to kill the King of Camelot?"

The mercenary kept his mouth tightly shut, and glared at the wall behind Leon.

Leon nodded to the knight again, and watched as the brute proceeded to take blows to the face, jaw, and gut.

Due to years of practice, Leon kept his face blank through all of this, not letting his anger or frustration show, because, yes, he was feeling both of those emotions. He should be with Arthur right now, helping with whatever he could for the treaty. That was where the First Knight belonged, not down here in the cool, dark and dampness of the castle dungeon. Not only that, but he had another integration to do right after this one, and based off of the others, he was going to get the same answers as he had been getting all morning. The fact that his leg was still hurting didn't help his mood at all, either. Because of it, he wouldn't be able to train for the next few days, which would make leading the sessions quite difficult.

After a while, Leon decided that the mercenary had had enough. For now, at least. He motioned for the knight to stop for the time being. The brute of a man was slightly leaning forward, staring at the ground.

"You may think you're being brave by not talking," began Leon, "but I can assure you, this is more stupidity than anything. You stand against one of the strongest, if not _the strongest_ , kingdom. Whoever hired you, gave you a death sentence with his order. You might not be able to save your life, but you can save the life of others who he may try to send."

The mercenary looked up. His eyes were slightly glazed over, due to the multiple blows to the head. "There 're others who are stronger. Tougher. More intimidating."

"Like who?" demanded the knight, hoping that in his slightly dazed state, he would trip up and answer the question.

"He'll kill me if I say."

"Well," said Leon, "You have already admitted to an attempt of murdering the king. You're already a dead man."

The look of fear returned to his face. This time, though, it stayed etched upon his facial features. "You don't understand," he said in a whisper, "It's not just me who will die. He will kill the others who work with me. He will kill my sister, her husband, and her children. He will send others after you, the other knights in this room, and your king because you know his name. I may die anyways, but at least I know everyone else will live."

"If so much was at stake," asked Leon in a flat voice, "then why did you take the job?"

"No one says no to him. No one."

Leon sat there and studied the bruised and beaten man before him with intensity. He was close to breaking, the knight's year of experience told him that much, but there was only so much one could do against such a deep fear.

"Very well," the knight said after a moment. "You have until first light tomorrow to change your mind. Take him back to his cell."

With that, the two knights who had been standing behind Leon moved forward, and around the table to the chair where the mercenary was chained. They unlocked him from his restraints, and drug him from the room.

"Sir?"

Leon looked to where the voice had come from. It was the young knight who had done the beatings.

"Yes?" Leon asked.

"Shall I have them bring in the last prisoner?"

Leon nodded, and he left the room. The First Knight sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had gotten more out of that last interrogation that the other two combined. Leon was definitely going to have some interesting things to report to Arthur…

His thoughts were interrupted by the three knights re-entering the room. With them, they drug in the fourth and final mercenary. For Leon, that meant the fourth and final interrogation. There _was_ a light at the end of the tunnel after all!

As soon as the man was secured in the chair across from Leon, the knight began.

"I am going to tell you exactly what I've told all of your other friends…"

* * *

"Please tell me I don't have to drink that," said Gwain, eyeing the bottle in Merlin's hand.

After Arthur had finished his breakfast, and gotten dressed, he gave the manservant the same schedule as yesterday. Merlin, having already done all of the chores yesterday, went to see if Gaius needed anything done. Just like the day before, the physician had him deliver medicine to both Gwain and Elyan. After a quick stop at Elyan's chambers, Merlin made his way to Gwain's, who was not happy _at all_ about having to take more medicine.

"I refuse to consume anything that tastes worse than posion," continued the knight.

Merlin smiled, trying his best not to gag as he inhaled the unpleasant fumes wafting out of the uncorked bottle. "Trust me, this isn't even that bad."

"Compared to what?" questioned Gwain.

"Most other potions and concoctions Gaius makes."

It was Gwain's turn to smile. "I'll take your word on that one. I still think the best cure for anything is a nice tankard of mead. Speaking of which, can I have any yet?"

"No," said Merlin, "Not until Gaius clears you. We _did_ go over this yesterday."

The drunkard knight sighed. "One can still hope."

Merlin smiled as he shook his head. "Just drink it, it will make you feel better."

Gwain folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. "That's what you say, but is it true?"

"I can always go and get Percival to hold you down while I force you to drink it.".

Gwain stared at the bottle, as if debating whether it was worth it to put up a fight. After a moment of intense glaring at it, he spoke up again. "Will it make me fall asleep?"

Merlin switched his gaze to the bottle in his hand. Was this the pain medicine that induced sleep? Or was this the other one that just made your brain fuzzy? Either way, a drugged Gwain would be much more agreeable to work with.

"There is a fifty percent chance of that," Merlin finally answered as he held out the bottle.

Gwain studied it for a moment longer before finally accepting it.

"At least you're in a better mood today," he commented.

"Huh?" asked the manservant.

"You're acting like yourself today," clarified the knight. "Yesterday, you were moodier than Arthur in the morning."

"Yeah…" said Merlin, "I was tired."

Gwain didn't look convinced. "Are you sure that's all it was?"

Merlin nodded. Gwain was not satisfied with that answer. The raven-haired man was his closest and oldest friend here in Camelot. It was way too obvious that Merlin wasn't telling him something. But, knowing the manservant, Gwain also knew that he would speak in his own time.

"Well, mate, if you need to get it off your chest, I won't be leaving this damn bed any time soon."

Merlin nodded his thanks as the knight downed the contents. Gwain's facial features pinched together as the taste got to him.

"Remind me never to take an arrow to the body again," he mumbled as he handed the now-empty bottle back to Merlin.

Merlin smiled as he made his way to the door. There was nothing like a grumpy Gwain to keep him entertained.

The manservant made his way through the halls of the castle, heading back to the physician's quarters. As he walked in, a bell rang out, signaling noon. Merlin sighed. That meant the first session was over, and that Arthur would be wanting lunch.

After carefully setting the bottle down on a shelf, the manservant made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a platter of food that had been freshly made for the king.

Taking the narrow passageways that went around the main ones, Merlin made it to Arthur's rooms before the king did. The manservant knew that if he didn't stay, Arthur would accuse him of seeing someone again, and that was something Merlin did not want to go through twice in one day. So, he decided to busy himself with re-organizing the dresser, even though he had done that specific chore quite recently.

Merlin was humming a merry tune when he heard voices coming down the hall.

"I'm quite pleased with how quickly things are moving along." The manservant recognized that voice as Arthur's.

"Indeed," said a second, "with any luck, we will have the treaty figured out a couple of days before we originally planned it to be done."

The door to the room opened, and Merlin glanced around the open door of the dresser. Accompanying Arthur was none other than Balinor himself.

The foreign prince's gaze immediately landed on Merlin. The two held each other's gaze for a second, before Merlin turned his attention back to the wardrobe. Luckily, Arthur didn't notice that little moment. Merlin was relieved. He really didn't want another interrogation.

Balinor stayed in the room for another few minutes, conversing with Arthur about various aspects of the treaty that would be covered in the afternoon session. Before he left, he sent one last glance in Merlin's direction.

Once the door closed behind Balinor, Merlin let out a small sigh of relief. Now that he knew the truth, he felt nervous to be in the same room as the man, but that didn't stop him from wanting to talk to him. He just had to wait for the right time to do so, and preferably before the treaty was signed. That way, Merlin would have more time to get to know the man who was his father _before_ he had to leave.

"MERLIN!"

The manservant looked up just in time to be hit by a flying spoon.

"What was that for?" asked Merlin as he stood, a perplexed look on his face.

Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes. "Because I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes. What were you even thinking about that had you so deep in thought?"

"…stuff."

"Stuff?" asked a very unamused Arthur.

"Yes."

Arthur sighed again. "Just take these dishes back down to the kitchen, and continue working on the chore list I assigned you."

"Yes, _sire_ ," responded Merlin, glad for something to do that didn't relate to Arthur's socks.

* * *

Both of Merlin's hands were occupied whilst carrying the platter of dirty dishes. So that he could take the most time possible on this chore, he took the main passageways of the castle to get to the kitchen. Merlin had walked this route so many times, that he didn't even need to think about where he was going.

As he turned a corner, he came face to face with a person. Luckily, both him and the person stopped immediately in their tracks to avoid a collision.

 _Why does this keep happening?_ Merlin silently wondered. He looked up from the platter to see who it was he had almost ran into.

It was Balinor.

"Careful there," said the older man with a warm smile, "don't want to end up with all those dishes on the floor."

Merlin chuckled a little. "It wouldn't be the first time it's happened."

Balinor gave a small laugh in return. "It seems that such a fate is inevitable for castle staff."

"That's for sure."

It dawned on Merlin that this might be one of his only chances. Did he want to take it?

"At least it wasn't several bottles of potions from Gaius. Those always find a way of ending up on the floor," said Balinor.

Yes, he decided, he _did_ want to take it.

"Speaking of Gaius," began Merlin. The servant forced himself to meet Balinor's gaze. The manservant suddenly felt very timid, but it would do him no good to lose his nerve now. "He told me the truth."

* * *

 **A/N: Well there's the moment so many of you have been asking for! This is defiantly the longest chapter I've written so far. I'm super excited for the next one, I think you guys will like it!**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I tried to reply to as many as I could, but my wifi hasn't been very cooperative lately.**

 **The next chapter should be up within the next few weeks. Until then!**

 **Leave a review before you go? They make my day!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So, I've got two papers and a presentation due tomorrow. Naturally, I've decided to procrastinate some more and ended up writing a chapter! It's been so difficult to find time, I really do apologize for the lateness of this chapter. But, I managed to get this posted so gold star for me! (I am such a terrible author.)**

 **As usual, the only thing I own is my plot line and o.c.'s**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

" _Speaking of Gaius," began Merlin. The servant forced himself to meet Balinor's gaze. The manservant suddenly felt very timid, but it would do him no good to lose his nerve now. "He told me the truth."_

Balinor's eyes grew wide. Had Gaius _really_ told him the truth, or was he talking about something else? Recovering enough from his shock to actually _see_ the servant before him, told Balinor everything.

Merlin's facial features were calm, but the way his chin was slightly tilted in, and the anxiousness in his startling blue eyes showed Balinor that the boy was quite nervous. Nervous about how _he_ was going to react. Yes, he really did know the truth. And he was scared.

"Did he now?" asked the foreign prince in near whisper.

Merlin nearly sighed in relief. There was no anger or accusation in his voice at all, just genuine surprise and curiosity. Instead, the raven-haired servant nodded his head.

"How… how much did he tell you?" asked Balinor.

"As much as he was willing," answered Merlin, gaining more confidence and composure with each word.

"That is very vague," pointed out Balinor with a raised eyebrow.

Merlin shrugged. "Yeah."

Balinor smiled at the young man before him. There was so much he wanted to tell him, and in turn, listen to what the boy had to say.

"I would really like to learn what that old man told you, and correct any facts he got wrong" the Prince said in a light tone, "But, unfortunately, I have to go sit through another boring meeting. After the session is over, why don't you come by my rooms?"

The manservant's grin widened. "I'd like that."

Balinor couldn't help but notice how infectious the servants smile was. Oh, how he'd love to skip the afternoon session to get to know Merlin better! But, he did have a job to do.

"Excellent", said Balinor returning the grin.

Down the hall, a pair of voices echoed out. Both father and son turned towards the direction the sound came from.

Merlin shifted his grip on the tray in his hands. "I better get going."

"As should I," said Balinor.

With that, Merlin continued on his way to the kitchens. When he was halfway down the corridor, two red-caped knights rounded the far corner.

"Merlin!" called out Sir Percival.

The manservant smiled, glad to see the man had recovered from his injuries and was back to normal. "Hello!" he responded. Beside the giant was a younger knight, a man, if Merlin remembered right, who had only received his title a few months previous. For the life of him, Merlin could not remember his name.

As the gap between them closed, Merlin's smile faded away. Percival's expression was a mixture of determination and urgency. Right away, the manservant knew something was wrong.

"We've been looking for you," said the giant of a knight.

"Why?" asked Merlin, a little anxious about what he was going to hear.

"Gaius sent us," said Percival, "He needs you."

 _This cannot be good at all,_ thought Merlin. "What happened?" asked the warlock.

"It's Elyan. His condition has taken a turn for the worse."

For the second time, today, Merlin nearly dropped the tray of dishes in his hands. _No, no, no, no,_ Merlin desperately thought, _not Elyan._

"Where?" asked Merlin.

"Elyan's chambers," Percival answered briefly.

The apprentice physician nodded once and shoved the silver tray into the other knight's hands. "Take those to the kitchen, would you?" he asked, as he began running down the hall.

With a look of distaste, the young knight looked at the tray full of dirty dishes. "Why the hell…"

Before he could finish the sentence, Percival interrupted him. "Just do it," he said with a slight glare. With that, he took off after Merlin.

* * *

In order to collect his thoughts, Balinor slowly walked towards the council chambers. Not slow enough to make it look like he was purposely taking his time, but just the right speed to give him a few extra seconds to himself.

After the bombshell Merlin had just dropped, he needed it.

He knew. _He knew._ Merlin knew the truth. Inside, Balinor felt like a knight competing in his first tournament. In other words, equally excited and nervous. He was excited for obvious reasons. His son knew who his father was. Balinor now could, to his face, acknowledge Merlin as his own. What parent wouldn't be excited?

On the other hand, he was nervous. For Merlin to know the truth put the young man in a dangerous position. His ignorance had been the first and strongest defense against Kaeden. But that was the least of Balinor's worries. Merlin wasn't dumb enough to go around shouting that he was the son of Prince Balinor Ambrosius and his runaway wife. No, what concerned him most was if Merlin would accept him.

Would the boy forgive his father, who had been absent his whole life? Now that Merlin knew the truth, Balinor was faced with the reality that things might not go as smoothly as he had hoped.

 _No,_ thought Balinor, _Merlin looked like he wanted to talk. There was no accusation anywhere on his face. Everything will be fine._

"And if it isn't our fearless leader, who boldly walks down the hall to the most important of meetings," called out a voice from behind.

Balinor snapped out of his thoughts, and turned. Coming down the hall was the three fearsome warriors of Navenna, Sirs Aldis, Garnet, and Hywel. Apparently, he had been walking slow enough for them to catch up with him.

Balinor chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure there have been more important meetings than this one."

The three men closed the gap between them and their prince, and the four continued walking.

Even though he couldn't see it, Balinor could feel Aldis staring at him. The youngest of the three knights had been doing that all day. It wasn't in a rude way. If anything, his gazes had been more on the curious side of things. It was almost like Aldis knew something and wanted to say it, or wanted Balinor to clarify something.

Whatever it was, Balinor was willing to bet it wasn't that important. After all, it was just Aldis.

* * *

The raven-haired manservant came to a screeching halt outside the door to Sir Elyan's personal chambers. It was already slightly ajar, so all Merlin had to do was nudge it open just a little further. Inside, Gaius was bent over the bed where the injured knight lay. The manservant took a couple of steps towards him. Behind Merlin, Sir Percival entered the room and gently shut the door.

Gaius looked up from his patient, and beckoned Merlin to come stand by him.

"What happened?" Merlin asked in a quiet voice.

The old man hesitated before answering. On the bed, Elyan lay as if in a deep sleep, but the shallowness of his breath and paleness of his face told Merlin otherwise. "I'm not sure," he finally said in an equally quite voice. "Perhaps the gash on his head was more serious than we though. He might be suffering from a serious side effect of a concussion, internal bleeding, or perhaps there was a more serious injury to his brain to begin with."

Merlin let out a deep breath. "None of those are good."

"You gave him the pain medicine I sent this morning?"

"Yes," replied Merlin. "He woke up when I walked in, and was awake long enough to drink the bottle. He looked well on the road to recovery then."

Gaius nodded, and straitened his back, continuing to study the man on the bed before him.

Merlin nervously crossed his arms and looked at the knight. To the manservant, this looked more like a case of the plague. His face was pale, his breathing was short and slightly labored, his dark forehead was shiny with sweat. Merlin would be willing to bet he was burning up with fever, too. Yes, some of those were also conditions of a concussed head, but not enough to make Merlin think that's what the issue was.

The apprentice physician looked over to his mentor. By the way his eyes were intensely staring at one spot, Merlin could tell he was deep in thought, most likely making the same observations that Merlin just had, and pondering them to a further extent.

Gaius took a deep breath and turned to Percival, who was silently standing by the door. "Please notify the queen that her brother, in his weakened state, has come down with a fever. It's nothing that I cannot fix, but it is best she hears it from you, rather than the gossiping castle staff."

Percival nodded, and then moved to leave. As he rested his and on the doorknob, Gaius called out to him again. "And Percival?" The knight turned to look at the old man. "Do wait until _after_ the afternoon session before telling her. We do not need her distracted in there."

The knight nodded once more, and left the room, softly closing the door behind him.

"So it's _not_ anything head-trauma related?" asked Merlin after he left.

Gaius took another deep breath. "Unfortunately, no."

"It's not a fever, either, is it?" asked Merlin, afraid of what the answer would be.

Gaius looked at Merlin. "No. It is not."

"Then what?"

"I believe that someone has poisoned the queen's brother," said Gaius.

"Poisoned?" asked Merlin in disbelief. The physician grimly nodded his head. "Do we know what poison?"

Gaius sighed again, and walked around the bed, propping himself up over Elyan's head. "That's what I'm trying to determine. The symptoms he's showing are all very common when it comes to poison. It could be anything, from Belladonna to snake venom."

"How would the poison have gotten in his system?" Merlin wondered aloud, knowing Gaius was probably just as stumped as he was. Elyan had eaten next to nothing since he came home, and had been sleeping almost non-stop. Whoever did this to him, would have had to force it down his throat. That is, if this was a poison that had been consumed. It could have entered his body through any of his open wounds.

Merlin now saw his mentor's dilemma. There was so many possibilities, but, judging by the state of Elyan, very little time.

"I am as clueless as you," said Gaius. "Have you finished your chores from Arthur?"

Merlin nodded, continuing to think about the predicament at hand.

"Good," said the physician, "I would like you to stay here while I see what I can find in my books. Find a bucket of water and a clean cloth, try to bring his temperature down."

Once again, the manservant nodded, and made his way to the window, where a small pail of water sat, with a small ladle in it to drink from.

"Oh, and Merlin," the raven-haired man looked over to his mentor. "I'd get comfortable, you could be here for a while."

Despite the emotions that he felt at those words, Merlin kept his face neutral and nodded once more.

As soon as Gaius left, Merlin let out a sigh. It felt like the world itself was against him. He had done it. He had taken Aldis's advice and worked up the courage to tell Balinor he knew. He had even made plans to go and talk to his father. But now, someone had decided to go and poison the queen's brother. Merlin just couldn't catch a break.

Merlin walked over to Elyan's wardrobe, and began rummaging around for a spare scrap of cloth. Most of the articles of clothing were new, expertly made, and in good condition. There were a few pieces, though, that were older and made of rougher material. It took Merlin a second, but he realized that these were the clothes left over from his peasant life. Clothes that were a reminder of the past.

Merlin smiled, and tucked everything back in the wardrobe the way he had found it. He took one last sweep around the room. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could use as a cloth to wipe Elyan's brow with.

Suddenly, he perked up. Actually, there _was_ something he could use. Reaching behind him, Merlin quickly untied the neckerchief from his neck. The red square of fabric was perfect for what Merlin needed. As much as he hated to use it for such a job, he realized that more was at stake here than the condition of his neckerchief. He just had to make sure that he wasn't _too_ ruff with it.

The young warlock pulled a chair from the table in the room to the side of the bed. He grabbed the water bucket, and immediately began dabbing Elyan's head with his now-damp neckerchief.

"Hang in there Elyan," Merlin muttered under his breath.

* * *

Despite it being a nice, fairly warm day, it was cool in the shade of the forest. Or, at least that's what the four cloaked men riding into the clearing thought.

Surrounded by the dense trees, the clearing was large enough to fit several tents and two fire pits. Off to one side was a fallen tree, to which a dozen or so horses were tied.

"And who might you be?" growled a voice.

The four men turned their heads to see a tall man with thick arms and legs walking their way. By the way he was dressed, they knew he was a mercenary. That told them that they had found their destination.

"I don't like asking twice. Who the hell are you and why are you here?" the man barked.

One of the four nudged his mount forward, and lowered the hood of his cloak. "We were sent here on orders," he answered.

"Who's orders?" demanded the mercenary.

"The boss's," said the man on the horse, "we are what you would call an elite force."

"And why would the boss send an 'elite force'?" said the mercenary skeptically.

"Because the lot of you appear to have failed at the simple task he assigned you." With that, the mounted man pulled a roll of parchment out of his cloak. "And if you don't believe me, the boss sent a letter."

The mercenary snatched the paper out of his hand, and unrolled it. After a moment of reading, the man jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Tie up the horses over there. If you manage that, join us in the main tent. We have a raid to plan."

* * *

 **A/N: It was a little difficult for me to write this one. I hope it was up to par with the other chapters, it's been a while since I've written for fun. I do also realize that there wasn't much action in this one. Trust me, there will be plenty in the upcoming ones!**

 **With any hope, I'll find some free time and have two more chapters up before the new year. (Wish me luck)**

 **As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! They keep me writing and help motivate me so much.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Happy 2017! Here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

 _Where is he?_ thought Balinor as he paced back and forth in his room.

As soon as the afternoon session had gotten over, the foreign prince had made his way to his room, only stopping to exchange a few words with a couple of people. Aldis had even tried to get him to join the handful of knights who were going to the tavern. Politely, Balinor had declined. Although, part of him was relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about anyone interrupting his evening plans, what with everyone from the party leaving castle grounds.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

Before he had managed to slip away, Melaina had succeeded in cornering him. She was acting polite, but he could tell she was still very agitated by the way he refused to answer any of her questions.

If anybody was going to barge into his room while he was talking with Merlin, it would be her. She did not need to know about Merlin. Not yet. He knew she had her suspicions, but right now, those would be the difference of living or dying if Kaeden ever found out. Not only that, but how did he know she wouldn't go running off to her father the second she knew? He silently prayed that he could get through this meeting with his son _without_ having to deal with his over-dramatic niece.

Balinor looked to the window in his room. The light was fading, and it would be dark soon. _Where is Merlin?_

Had the raven-haired manservant gotten cold feet? Had he decided against coming to see his father? Balinor nearly slapped himself. Obviously, this was all of the nerves getting to him. He barely knew Merlin, but the young man didn't seem like the type to go back on his word, and he had said he would be coming. Perhaps he got caught up on one final chore for Arthur, or maybe even had to do a quick medicine run for Gaius.

Yes, that was it. Even though Merlin would technically be a royal, he still was a servant and an apprentice here in Camelot. Balinor was getting himself worked up over nothing. Merlin would stop by in due time.

* * *

"Well, this is obviously something!" exclaimed Merlin as he slammed another book shut. "It just so happens that this something has symptoms common to every poison out there."

"Merlin, calm yourself!" said Gaius from his workbench.

The manservant took a deep breath. "I am calm. I am extremely calm. There is nothing you can do to calm me more because I am already perfectly calm."

"You're rambling on again," pointed out the elderly physician.

"Am not," Merlin mumbled under his breath.

Choosing to ignore that last comment, Gaius continued mixing ingredients together. "Merlin, I know you are stressing over this because Elyan is your friend, but you need to keep it together."

Offended by that, Merlin stood. "Gaius, we don't know what it is that's poisoning him. You said it yourself, at the rate things are going, he will end up dying soon."

The old man looked at his ward. "I am very aware of the circumstances. That is why I am doing what I can to get us as much time as possible." He took the viscus liquid he had been mixing, and added it to a vial half filled with water. After sealing the top with a tight-fitting cork, he held it out for Merlin to take.

"Here. Bring this to Elyan's chambers. Shake it well, and try to get him to swallow all of it. It should help with his fever and any pain he is still experiencing from his wounds."

Merlin nodded, and walked over to the workbench to grab it.

The warlock was lost in his thoughts as he walked down the hall. Not only were two of his friends injured, but one had been poisoned as well. Not only that, but he was now extremely late for his meeting with Balinor. His first ever meeting with his father. But, as Gaius had taught him, a physician's patient always comes first, no matter what.

Why did life have to be so complicated? Why couldn't he just have one day where nothing went wrong?

As if _that_ would ever happen.

Merlin pushed open the door to Sir Elyan's chambers. Unsurprisingly, Gwen was seated in a chair by his bedside. She looked up when the manservant entered the room.

"Merlin," she said softly, the stress and anxiety very apparent in her voice.

"Hi, Gwen," Merlin responded, matching her quite volume.

"What do you have there?" she asked, nodding her head to indicate to the vial in his hand.

"Something that should help reduce the fever and any pain he's feeling," answered Merlin. "Do you think you could lift his head a little for me?"

Gwen stood, and did as she was asked. Merlin viciously shook the bottle until the water and the substance Gaius had poured in were well mixed. He then uncorked the vial and proceeded to the slow process of getting Elyan to swallow the medicine.

It took a quarter of an hour, but eventually the vial was empty, and Elyan's head was laid back on his pillow.

"Merlin, will my brother recover?"

The raven-haired servant made eye contact with the queen. It was very rare for Gwen to show so much fear. She was afraid that she would lose her brother, her last living relative.

Merlin sighed. Right then and there, he knew that he would do whatever he could to make sure Elyan got back on his feet. After all, Gwen had been his first friend in Camelot and she had always been there for him. Even though she was now the queen, she had lost so much in the past few years. Her father, her closest friend, Morgana. There was no way that Merlin was letting her lose someone else.

"Don't worry," Merlin finally said, "He'll be fine."

With that, the manservant took his leave. As he closed the door behind him, a thought dawned on him. Gaius had just told him to give Elyan the medicine. Technically, he had no other tasks for the night, what with already having prepared Arthur for bed. He was free for the evening.

Free to finally talk to his father.

Merlin made a decision right then and there. He turned on his heal, and set off towards the Noble's wing, where the Navennan party was staying. After all, he did say he would come, and it would do no good to leave a bad impression on visiting royalty.

* * *

After pacing for what seemed like hours, Balinor had finally sat down at the table in the room, and attempted to work various paperwork he had brought with him. Just because he was away from the kingdom on royal business didn't mean that he would be excused from all of the wonderful piles of reports, laws, taxes, and other things that would require his attention. To avoid a massive pile-up when he returned, Balinor had brought some scrolls with him.

His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when somebody knocked at the door. He took a deep breath.

 _This is it,_ he thought. "Enter!" he called out.

The door opened, and in walked Merlin. Balinor couldn't help but smile. His son was here at last. He didn't know what to say. This was bad. How do you start a conversation with a son who you learned existed about two days previous?

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," he managed to say. That was a good start. Right?

Merlin gave a short laugh. "Oh, I planned to come sooner, but a patient needed care."

 _So it_ was _something for Gaius,_ Balinor mentally commented. "But you're here now. Please, sit," he said, motioning to a chair on the other side of the table.

The manservant softly closed the door behind him and then sat in the indicated chair.

Once he was seated, Balinor spoke again. "So, Merlin… tell me about you."

Merlin shrugged. "Honestly there isn't much." To the manservant, this conversation was already shaping up to be much like the one he had with Aldis the night previous.

Balinor inwardly laughed. "I find that very hard to believe," he said with a slight smirk.

"Why do you say that?" asked Merlin.

"Not only are you the king's personal manservant, but you're also ward and apprentice to the Court Physician. That there is more than most can boast," reasoned Balinor.

The young man shrugged. "I guess."

"You guess," said Balinor under his breath. "I also know you are much more than that."

Curiosity lit up the manservant's eyes. "What do you mean."

"From what Gaius has told me, you have incredible instinctive talent." _Am I pushing too much?_ wondered Balinor.

 _My magic!_ Thought Merlin. _He's talking about my magic._ But, out of habit, the warlock wanted to make sure that's what Balinor was actually implying.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "As a physician?

Balinor chuckled. "That too. But from what he's said, it's the main reason you were sent here."

 _So he_ is _talking about my magic,_ Merlin silently concluded.

"If it's not asking too much," continued the foreign prince, "I'd like to see it."

The manservant studied the man before him. _His father._ He wanted to see what Merlin could do, and the curiosity and anticipation was evident on his face.

Merlin cupped his hands together, and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he released a bit of magic through both of his palms. He opened his eyes and looked to his father, who let out a silent gasp. Merlin opened his hands to reveal a ball of blue tinged light. With a wave of his hands, the light disappeared.

"In all my years, I have never seen anything quite like that," commented Balinor.

"You've never seen light created by magic?" asked Merlin.

"Oh, no, I have. Plenty of times. But never quite like that."

"What do you mean?" asked the warlock.

Balinor propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin against his fists. "Normally, when a sorcerer or witch casts a spell, their eyes glow with an amber color. The more powerful the user, the brighter the glow. Your eyes were not amber. They were _pure gold_. That's a first for me."

Merlin shrugged. "It's always been like that. Since I was born, according to mother."

"I don't doubt that," said Balinor. "Especially because you were able to create that light without muttering a single word."

Merlin shrugged again. "That's always been like that, too."

"Even for an Ambrosius, that is rare talent," mused Balinor as he leaned back in his chair.

"An Ambrosius?"

"Yes. Your family. _My_ family."

"Is… is magic normal, in the, uh, family?"

Balinor smirked. "In a way, yes." The question was evident on Merlin's face. "Before you ask, yes, magic is a common trait. Especially in the men. But there is more to it than that. And before you ask about that, I think it's best if I told you why my brother was so hell-bent on your mother and I not having children. If I remember right, that was one of your questions from the other day. I think it might also answer a few others of yours, as well."

Merlin nodded, excited that he was finally getting some answers.

"The Ambrosius line… it's a very ancient and powerful one. The other families like it were all destroyed in the Purge. Our magic, it's in our blood. It is passed to the oldest male sibling upon death of his father. My father was killed during the Purge. Since Kaeden and I are twins, we both received the gift.

"Kaeden is older than me by mere minutes. He's also very power hungry. Needless to say, he was not at all happy that the gift was passed to me, as well as him. According to an old friend of our father's, whichever one of us had a son first, the gift would pass to him, and continue on through his children. Kaeden didn't like that his heir could possibly be weaker than mine, so he forbid your mother and I from having children. On penalty of death."

"Well he sounds like a delightful person," said Merlin sarcastically.

Balinor couldn't help it, he laughed a little at that. "I couldn't agree with you more, but he's still my brother."

"What do you mean 'magical gift'?" asked Merlin, wondering how his magic could get any more gifted.

"By that, I mean the Dragonlord's ability."

"The… what?" Okay, _that_ was a new one.

"Dragonlords are men who can command dragons and speak the dragon-tongue. Our souls are brothers, and it is because of that fact, that we can perform magic. It is a both an honor and a responsibility," answered Balinor. "The gift passes from father to son, and you my boy, are next in line to receive it."

"I… dragons… what?" stammered Merlin.

"That's why your mother left," said Balinor quietly. "Because we both knew that our luck would give us a son. She left to protect you from the wrath of my brother, who will not hesitate to kill you." Balinor looked Merlin straight in the eye. "If he _ever_ found out that you exist, he will hunt you down, and will not rest until your head is on a spike."

"All of this," said Merlin, staring down at the center of the table, "All of it is because I will inherit this gift and not his son?"

"Indeed," replied the older man with a sad smile. "He has grown increasingly bitter about the matter because he has five daughters, and no son. See, in Navenna, the crown, much like the gift, passes to the oldest son. Which, technically means, after me, you are second in line for the throne."

Merlin was taken aback at that. "But… but I'm just a servant, I grew up as a farm boy. I'm no royal," he said.

"I know, and I want to change that," said Balinor, "but I can't. Hell, I didn't even know about you until two days ago."

Merlin switched his gaze from the table to Balinor's face. "So, what now?"

Balinor stared at the young man. He had to admit, he was impressed with what he saw. Not only did Merlin hold himself in such a way that was uncommon for a servant, but the determination, hope, and _wisdom_ in his eyes was something else as well. Merlin was indeed a special person.

"I wish I knew," Balinor finally answered. _I wish I knew._

* * *

"G'night, my lady," said the maid after she had extinguished the last candle in the room. After the door had quietly closed behind her, Melaina immediately sat up, tossing the sheets to the side. Her footsteps were nearly silent as she walked barefoot across the stone floor.

It was dark outside. By now, the castle was asleep. The only people she'd have to worry about were the random patrols wandering about. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of soft-soled leather shoes and swung a cloak around her shoulders. Then, as silently as she could, she left her room and shut the door tightly behind her.

Keeping to the shadows, the princess made her way across the castle, and to the passageway that lead to the dungeon. Slipping past the guards, which was way easier than it should have been, she found her way to the descending staircase that lead far below the castle, making sure to grab a nearby torch before she entered the pitch-black passageway.

It seemed to take much less time to reach the bottom than it had a couple days before.

Melaina walked to the edge of the plateau. "H-hello?" she called out into the darkness. "I know you're still there."

Her eyes darted around the cavern in attempt to find the giant reptile. She listened hard for the rattling of chains, or the beating of his massive wings.

She was greeted with dead silence.

"I have questions. About what you told me the other day. I don't understand."

Again, nothing.

 _Maybe he's asleep,_ thought Melaina, _or keeping silent for a reason._ Whatever the reason was, the princess did not want to wait any longer for the dragon to show himself.

"Please, I would like to have some answers."

The cave gave off an ominous sense of foreboding.

Obviously, the dragon wasn't in a talkative mood. After a moment, she turned on her heel, her cloak rippling dramatically behind her. _Fine, be that way_ , she mentally snapped.

...

Just like on the way to the underground cavern, Melaina kept to the shadows as she made her way back to her room. So far, she had been lucky. There had been no patrols to dodge. _The security of Camelot is absolutely_ terrible, she noted, but she wasn't complaining. She was too busy being angry at the fact that the dragon had ignored her.

She deserved answers, damn it! The dragon was the only other being besides her uncle that could give them to her, and right now, Balinor was keeping his silence. Why wouldn't he just confirm her suspicions on who that manservant really was? For god's sake, you'd have to be blind not to see that Merlin and her uncle looked practically identical. Not to mention the fact that there was something… different about Merlin. He was obviously much more than a servant, and nobody cared to let her in on that little secret. Not the dragon, nor her uncle.

Her mental rant was interrupted by footsteps coming down the hall. She scanned the corridor for someplace to hide until whoever was coming passed by.

Just a way down and off to the right, was a small nook darkened by the shadows. Melaina hurriedly made her way to it, and ducked down. With any luck, whoever was coming would just pass right by. The princess held her breath as the echoing footsteps grew louder. What seemed like minutes later, even though it was just a matter of seconds, the person passed by

She sighed with relief. It was just a servant and he didn't notice her.

Wait.

That was _Merlin._

She wouldn't have cared that it was him who passed by her hiding spot, but the direction he came from made her curious. She would have expected to see him walking from Arthur's chambers, but the king's room was located in a different corridor. This one led to the wing where she and her delegation were staying.

 _What are you doing down here?_ she silently wondered.

After he was gone and she could no longer hear his footsteps, Melaina poked her head out to make sure the coast was clear. It was, so she continued on her way, with another question to scribble onto her ever-growing list.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there ya go. I hope the conversation satisfied all of you who've been asking for it since I began this story! There will be many more father-son moments to come! Unfortunately, I'm a terrible person who can't keep a schedule to save my life, so I wasn't able to post before New Year's. (I really do apologize for that!)**

 **I can't promise regular updates or anything like that, but I am going to try to have another chapter out soon.**

 **A special thank you to all you wonderful readers who have favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! I love you all!**

 **Oh, and speaking of reviews, leave one before you go? They make my day!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I am sooo sorry for the long delay in posting this. On the bright side, I managed to survive (and pass) all of my finals! Oh, and thank you to all of you wonderful people who follow, favorite, and review!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Warm, golden sunlight streamed through the window and into the bedchamber. The window had been thrown open, so a slight breeze carried in the sweet smells of the outside world. From the room, one could hear the knights training down in the courtyard below. Swords clashing, arrows smacking the targets. It was a glorious morning.

Glorious, that is, for everyone except Sir Gwaine, who sat on his bed, glaring at the open window, and silently cussing out each and every one of the knights who had the wonderful privilege of doing something other than lying around and "healing".

It had been three days since Gaius had confined him to his bed. _Three bloody days._ Surely, that was enough time to get him back on his feet. But apparently, no, it wasn't.

Earlier, when Gaius had come by to check up on him, Gwaine had asked if he could simply walk to the training yard to _watch._ Nothing more.

The request had been denied.

Gwaine then asked if he could attend the meeting session this morning, because as a round table member, he was encouraged to be there.

Once again, his plea had been met with a veto.

Because the third time's the charm, Gwain tried again, this time asking if he could move the handful of steps to the chair beside the window.

All the knight had received was a raised eyebrow and a glare.

At this point, Gwaine knew any attempt to get a change of scenery was useless, but he was _not_ going to spend another three days staring at the wall without some change in his routine.

"Can I at least have something of the alcoholic variety to drink?" Gwaine had practically begged before the physician could leave.

"Of course you can," Gaius had responded. "as soon as I clear you from bed rest."

And now, about an hour and a half later, Gwaine still sat in the same position, glaring at the same spot on the wall, hating all the other knights because they weren't stuck in their beds for the rest of eternity.

For god's sake, couldn't _somebody_ come check on him, so they could close the damn window?

No. Nobody would, because that's just the way luck would have it. Gwaine had accepted his fate. He was all alone in this world. He briefly wondered how Elyan was doing, hoping his brother-in-arms was healing much faster that he was.

* * *

Merlin sat in the chair next to Elyan's bed. Gwen had occupied the same chair for most of the night, only leaving when both Merlin and Gaius had ushered her out of the room to get some sleep. After all, they didn't need the queen dozing off mid-meeting.

The manservant was stressed, to say the least. Elyan was his friend, and so was Gwen. He didn't know what he'd do if the knight never got better. He had promised Gwen she would get her brother back. _Promised._ But right now, he didn't know how much longer that promise would last.

Once they had sent Gwen to bed, the physician and his apprentice had tried several different potions in attempt to counteract the poison. Unfortunate, all of them had negatively affected Elyan, causing his condition to worsen. Gaius didn't know what was causing this. Seeing his mentor stumped didn't exactly help Merlin to worry less.

This whole disaster reminded Merlin of how Uther died. The previous king had been stabbed, and Arthur had turned to magic to heal him. Unknown to everyone, Morgana had gotten there first and had a pendant put around Uther's neck that reversed any healing magic, sealing the fate of Uther Pendragon.

Merlin sat strait up, having just realized something. _A pendant that reversed any healing._

Immediately, Merlin checked Elyan's neck to make sure no such thing was there. Much to his relief, there was no cursed necklace to be found. But the thought of that got the manservant thinking. Who's to say such a curse had to have a pendant to work? Perhaps somehow, someone had gotten in and cast a spell over the queen's brother. Or maybe the poison inside him was somehow magically enhanced. Whatever it was, maybe it _was_ within Merlin's power to heal.

The young warlock headed out the door and ran down the hall. Elyan wasn't dying from a magical affiliation. Not on his watch!

* * *

Gaius let out a deep breath as he sat down in a chair. The physician had just finished his morning rounds. He wasn't as young as he used to be, and it was becoming increasingly more exhausting to deliver different medical remedies to the various people around the castle. All the different staircases alone left him winded. It was nice to sit back and relax in the quietness of his chambers.

THUNK!

Gaius flew to his feet at the loud crash.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY," Gaius began to yell, "oh, it's just you, Merlin," he finished at a normal volume.

The manservant stood a few paces from the door, bent over, his hands on his knees.

"You look like you just ran to the lower town and back," commented the physician.

Merlin stood strait, a grin on him face. "I think I know what's wrong with Elyan."

A look of surprise found it's way onto Gaius's face. "Really?" Merlin nodded. "Well do tell!"

A more serious expression took over Merlin's face. "Do you remember how Uther died?"

"Indeed, I do. The cursed amulet from Morgana reversed your healing spell."

Merlin nodded. "I think something along the same lines has happened to Elyan, but there's no amulet on him. Could some sort of curse or magically enhanced poison do the same thing?"

Realization hit Gaius like a heavy stone hammer. How could he have completely skipped over such a possibility? This was Camelot. _Anyone_ in a high-ranking position was always the target of magic, it seemed.

"Most definitely it could," confirmed Gaius as he moved towards one of his many bookshelves, skimming the spines until he came across the one he was looking for. He removed the large leather-bound tome and set it on the table, brushing some dust from the cover.

"Start looking though this one," the physician said to his ward. Without hesitation, Merlin crossed to the table, and began skimming through the aged yellow pages. Gaius plucked another large book from the shelf and followed suit.

The two were immersed in their research. One book turned into three, and before they knew it, three turned into a large stack on the table, and the noon-day bell rang out across the city. Merlin looked up from the pages of his current read.

"Is that really the time?" he wondered aloud.

"I believe so," answered Gaius, barely glancing up from his book.

 _The morning session must be over now,_ mused the manservant. Suddenly he gasped, nearly dropping the tome in his hands.

Gaius looked at Merlin. "Are you okay?"

Merlin switched his gaze to Gaius. "I'm going to be late bringing Arthur his lunch."

Gaius raised his eyebrow. "Well then you better get to it."

Gently, the young warlock set the book down on the table. Then, he headed for the door, accidently slamming it behind him as he took off running down the hall.

* * *

By the time Merlin pushed open the door to Arthur's room, the young king was already there, seated at his table in the chair facing the door. He was slumped back in the chair, with his arms folded across his chest, glaring at the entryway to the room.

"Well it's about time," he said, the anger apparent in his voice. "Did you get lost?" the king mocked.

"Um, no," said Merlin in his ever-happy tone, "just lost track of time."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You never lose track of time when doing chores, _Mer_ lin. In fact, I think you mentally count down the seconds until you can be done with them."

"I… wasn't doing chores," admitted the manservant. Quite honestly, he never let Arthur know he finished the chores assigned to him a little more than three days pervious. The king believed that the huge list was enough to last his servant until the treaty was signed and the Navennan delegation was gone.

"You weren't doing chores," restated Arthur.

Merlin nodded.

"Then pray tell _what_ were you doing? Were you seeing that girl again?"

"No. I was researching."

Arthur shot a look at Merlin that seemed to say, 'Really? Research?'

"I was!" said the manservant in defense. "Go ask Gaius if you don't believe me."

"Just give me my lunch," said Arthur.

Merlin looked down to the tray of food in his hands, and then back to Arthur. The king was glaring at him. It was a little unnerving. Quickly, he crossed the remaining distance to the table and set it down in front of the blonde.

"It's so hard to find good help," Arthur muttered as Merlin stepped away. The manservant rolled his eyes, knowing that the insult was fueled by the king's empty stomach.

It didn't take long for Arthur to scarf down his food. While he ate, Merlin organized the dresser and straightened the covers on the bed. After Arthur finished, he pushed the platter to the side, which was Merlin's cue to take it back to the kitchens.

The halls were alive as he walked down them. Before he exited the noble's wing, he crossed paths with Aldis. The knight, who was with two other men, smile and nodded his head towards Merlin. The warlock did the same, trying not to draw attention to the exchange between nephew and uncle. _It's still so weird to think of him as that_ , thought Merlin as he continued on his way.

* * *

"Who was that?" asked Sir Garnet after Merlin had past.

"That'd be the servant who ran into you at the market the other day," answered Hywel. "You seemed happy to see him," he commented as he turned his head towards Aldis.

"I did?" asked Aldis, faking the confusion, and wishing his brothers hadn't noticed the small exchange.

"Aye," said his oldest, and most annoying brother. "Why?"

"Well, the young lad was kind enough to point me in the direction of the tavern the other night, so naturally, he's now one of my favorite people in Camelot," replied Aldis.

Garnet silently chuckled. His two brothers were an amazing source of entertainment. Aldis, being the youngest brother, thought he could do whatever the hell he please and get away with it. Hywel, being the oldest, always thought it was his job to micromanage him. Garnet was the middle child. He found it was best to just sit back and watch the show.

"You bought him a drink didn't you?" accused Hywel, as if it were the most terrible thing in the world. "As a reward for showing you where the tavern was, you bought the young lad alcohol."

"And what if I did?" Asked Aldis, "It is perfectly fine to buy someone a drink for giving directions. You do it all the time," he pointed out.

"Do as I say, not as I do," replied Hywel.

"You're a bloody hypocrite, y'know?"

"Oh, brother dear, I am very aware."

"He was the one who looked familiar," commented Garnet.

The two brothers look towards him. "Come again?" asked Aldis.

"The servant, he was the one who looked _incredibly_ familiar."

Hywel pondered that for a moment. "You're right," he finally agreed.

"Wasn't he running to collected herbs?" pointed out Aldis, hoping the two would get sidetracked and stop talking about Merlin. The last thing he needed was to spill the beans. Hell, he didn't even know if Balinor knew he knew. Had Merlin gone and talked to him yet? Aldis really hoped he had.

Hywel thought about that one, too. "Yes, he was."

Garnet stopped dead in his tracks. His brothers, in confusion, also stopped.

 _Herbs._

It was that one word that triggered so many of Garnet's memories. Memories of a man, older than their mother, but only by a handful of years. The man who worked with herbs to make medicines, potions, and other remedies. A kind man, who was patient with the Bordel siblings.

His Uncle Gaius. Who worked with herbs. Here in Camelot. He was the physician _here in Camelot._

None of them had gone to see him yet.

They had been here for three days now.

"We are all _terrible_ people," he mumbled.

Aldis and Hywel exchanged glances. Was their brother going crazy?

"Uhh… why?" asked Aldis.

"None of us have bothered to visit Gaius yet," said Garnet.

A look of panic appeared on Hywel's face. "Oh my… you're right. We _are_ terrible people."

Aldis looked at his brothers, a smirk twitching on his lips. "Correction, _one_ of us has bothered to visit Gaius." Both Hywel and Garnet looked at him. "Oh, yeah," said Aldis, milking this moment for all it was worth, "I've been there twice in fact. Even brought Melaina with me at one point. Looks like I'm not as terrible as I seem. Hell, I'm actually better than both of you!"

With a laugh, Aldis turned and continued on his way. He would treasure that moment for years to come. The look on their faces had been _priceless._

Oh, it was shaping up to be a great day!

* * *

Hunith stared at the candle that was set in the middle of the wooden table. It was noon, if not a little past it, meaning there was plenty of natural light. The candle was not lit, but yet, it still was the perfect spot to stare whilst deep in thought.

It had been four days now. Four days since that royal delegation had passed through Ealdor. The small village rarely saw travelers, so when something so grand had entered, everyone rushed to their doors, to the side of the road even, to watch. Hunith knew by the colors the men wore and by the crest they bore, this was a delegation from Navenna. From her old home. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw who rode upon the horses up front.

Leading the group was a man she hadn't seen for years. His laugh could be heard even from as far away as she was. It had made her smile. It was a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. After all, it wasn't every day that you saw your brother, the brave and noble knight, ride through your small, secluded village. Aldis looked as energetic and carefree as the day she had left.

Flanking him was Garnet, still as tall as ever. Hunith longed to run out in the middle of the road, and greet them. But she knew she couldn't.

Scanning the rest of the horses, she saw a few more faces she vaguely recognized, but others, like the young knight directly behind her brothers, she had never seen before. Moving along down the group, she saw a young lady who was regally dressed. Her back was strait, and her long black hair flowed loosely behind her. No doubt a member of the royal family.

Behind her was Hunith's third, final, and oldest brother, Hywel. He had always been so over-protective. He had been the one comfort her when she was hurting. The one to hug her when she needed it. The one who would hold her hand as she cried. The sight of him brought a single tear to her eye. She wiped it away before anyone could notice.

Hywel was deep in conversation with the man on the horse next to him. Hunith didn't have a good view of his face, but from what she could see, he was a royal. His fine cloths, horse, and raven-black hair gave that away. Once she reached that conclusion, she began to panic, because the King of Navenna wanted her dead, and if he saw her, he wouldn't waste any time in ending her life right then and there.

Hunith attempted to move, to turn and walk away, but she couldn't. There were too many people who would question her if she slipped away from something as exciting as this. She would just have to hope luck was on her side.

It was then, that Hywel conveniently decided to end the conversation and move forward. The king took that as an opportunity to look around. He glanced almost lazily from one side of the road to the other, studying the people gathered along the path.

It was then, that his gaze landed directly on Hunith.

Her heart began to pound as dread flooded her system. _So this is how I die_ , she mused as her eyes met his.

His gaze was warm and friendly. It stirred up emotions in her that she hadn't felt for _years._ And that's when it had dawned on her. This wasn't the king. His gaze was cold and distant. It was his _brother_ , the prince.

It was the only man she had ever loved. The father of her son.

It was Balinor.

They held each other's eyes for only a few second, but it felt like hours. The moment was over too quickly.

Hunith laid her head down on the table. She had been playing this scene over and over in her head for the past few days. She could barely think of anything else.

 _What are they doing this far away from home?_ She wondered. It was a question that had been gnawing at her since she recovered from the shock of seeing them all. She hadn't bothered trying to answer it until now.

 _The kingdoms to the south are too small for Kaeden to care about,_ she thought, _the only thing else in that direction is Camelot, and Uther is a sworn enemy._

 _Well,_ was _a sworn enemy,_ she countered, remembering that several letters back, Merlin had mentioned the death of the former king, and Arthur's coronation. _Perhaps he wishes to meet with Arthur. After all, Camelot would make a strong ally._ Yes, that had to be it.

Hunith's head snapped up. Merlin was in Camelot. Balinor was, most likely, in Camelot. Both would be in the Castle, and with Merlin being the personal servant to the king, they would be around each other. A lot.

"Oh, no no no," Hunith muttered to herself. This was bad. She, most definitely, did _not_ want her son meeting his father in such a fashion. Especially when Merlin had no idea who he actually was! Her son would make himself sick trying to wrap his head around this one.

No. It was not going to happen like this. _She_ would be the one to tell Merlin, not have he and Bal attempted to put the pieces together.

 _Well,_ thought Hunith, _it looks like I am taking a trip to Camelot._

She smiled as she stood. Not only would she get to see her son, but perhaps the love of her life as well as her brothers.

Maybe the situation wasn't as bad as it had originally seemed.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there ya have it. Not as exciting as some, but all of these little moments needed to happen!**

 **Thank you so much to all of you who've stuck with this story, even with all the time in between most of the chapters. I've been working on this story for little over a year now, and plan to see it to completion, no matter what!**

 **Before you go, leave a review? I love to see what you guys think will happen next, and to know if I'm doing alright with this story.**

 **Until next time!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: What's this? An update?! I know, I'm surprised as well. Life's been hell. But, I finally managed to finish this chapter. I hope my long absence hasn't turned anyone away…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Mmm, chicken's good," commented Merlin with a full mouth. Gaius nodded his head in thanks. The two were seated at the table enjoying their evening meal. The sky outside the window was a mix of deep purples and blues.

"I take it you've brought Arthur his meal?" asked Gaius, not wanting to repeat what happened earlier when Merlin was late bringing the king his lunch.

"Oh, I made sure to bring it to him early," assured the manservant. Gaius chuckled, and took a bite of chicken himself.

The old man swallowed before talking again. "I think I may have found an answer to our predicament with Elyan."

Merlin looked up from his food. "Really?"

"Yes. It looks just like a simple incantation, but based on the book I found it in, it will be a little more complicated than that."

"Alright," said Merlin, pushing his plate to the side, "let's go try it."

"Now wait one second," said Gaius sternly. "You are not going to go and march into the noble's wing carrying a spell book. You are going to practice it first, and memorize it. Then and only then, will I allow you to go and cast the spell on Elyan."

"But…" Merlin began to protest.

"No buts," said Gaius. "And even then, you are going to have to be careful. I'll be going with you, of course, but still. Now sit down and finish your dinner!"

Merlin tried to hide his smile as he sat back down and pulled his plate back in front of him. The two continued to eat in comfortable silence.

Merlin couldn't believe that only yesterday he had had his first conversation _ever_ with his father. It was awkward in the beginning, that was for sure, but as the evening had progressed, talking had become much easier. Balinor was intelligent. _Very_ intelligent. He was also a great listener. After the topic of magic and dragonlords had passed, he asked Merlin all about his life growing up, and in return, Merlin questioned him about Navenna. Afterwards, the manservant felt like a connection had formed between him and his father. Merlin smiled at the memory of the conversation.

Gaius, who was sitting opposite of him, had been watching his ward's face for some time now. He was obviously deep in thought, but the expressions that washed over his face were indeed interesting.

"What's that grin for?" asked the physician, who was becoming increasingly more curious about what Merlin was thinking. The manservant, who was deep in thought, did not respond.

"Merlin!" he tried. "Merlin!" he said as he hit the table.

The noise jerked Merlin out of his memories. "Huh?"

"What are you smiling about over there?" Gaius asked again.

"Oh, umm nothing."

"I don't believe that for a second," said Gaius.

"Nothing much," admitted Merlin. He hadn't told Gaius about his visit last night.

"I think it's more than that," pressed the physician. "Is it a girl?"

Merlin threw his hands up. "Why does everyone think I'm seeing a girl?"

"Well, you are being more secretive than normal," reasoned Gaius. "not to mention your over there smiling about something."

Merlin took a deep breath. "I was thinking about last night. I… I went to see Balinor."

"You did?"

Merlin nodded.

Gaius smiled. "And how did that go?"

"It went really well," said Merlin. "We talked for hours."

"You remind me of him," said Gaius. "The two of you, well you're practically identical. Not to mention you behave a lot like him as well."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" asked Merlin, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Gaius let out a short chuckle. "It depends on the day."

Merlin grinned and took a bite of vegetables.

Outside the door to the physician's quarters, a set of voices grew louder as the owners got closer. Both physician and apprentice turned towards the door, curious as to who it was.

"No you can't just walk in!" said one muffled voice.

"What? Would it make you feel better if I knocked?" asked a second.

"Yes, actually, it would. It's also the respectful thing to do, y'know."

"He's the physician. He's used to people just walking in."

"Oh, both of you shut up!" said a third voice. " _I'll_ knock if you two won't stop arguing."

Merlin, who was close to busting up laughing looked to Gaius. The old man's eye were shining with amusement.

"Well, it sounds like we're going to have company," said the physician.

"Any idea who it is?" asked Merlin.

"Oh, I know _exactly_ who's on the other side of that door," said Gaius.

Seconds later, there was a rap on the door.

"Enter!" Gaius called out, the traces of a faint smile on his face.

The door opened, and in walked in Aldis. "Ah, Gaius. How good it is to see you again! And you too, Merlin!"

Both Merlin and Gaius stood. Behind Aldis walked in two other men, both with similar features to him.

Gaius smiled warmly. "Hywel, Garnet! It's about time the two of you came to see me. I thought you both forgot I existed," he added, looking hurt.

The two of them tried to hide the looks of guilt that crossed their faces. Seeing that, Gaius chuckled, and crossed the room to great them.

"Oh, I'm just giving the pair of you a hard time," said the old man as he hugged Hywel, and then Garnet. "Please, have a seat," said the old man as he motioned to the benches on either side of the table. Garnet and Hywel sat next to each other, while Aldis and Gaius slid into seats opposite them. Merlin, his inner servant coming out, leaned up against a wall near the table, but out of the way of the main action.

"It has been years," began Gaius, "do tell what the pair of you've been up to."

"Well," said Hywel (at least Merlin thought that one was Hywel), "Nothing too major. A battle here, a skirmish there, visiting various kingdoms, and the likes."

"The life of a knight isn't without its excitements," commented Garnet.

Gaius nodded his head and waited for them to continue, hoping to hear tales of adventures that knights were always so fond of sharing.

Nobody said anything. It was quite an awkward silence.

"Nothing else? Really?" asked Gaius.

Garnet glanced sideways at his older brother. Hywel shrugged. On the other side of the table, Aldis rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry they are so boring," said Aldis. Hywel shot him a glare.

"What about you, uncle?" asked Garnet in attempt to stop the argument that was building between his two brothers.

Gaius gave a sheepish smile. "I'm afraid not much has happened to me either."

Off to the side, Merlin shot him a look that seemed to say ' _really?'_.

Apparently similar thoughts were going through the minds of the three knights. "I find that _extremely_ hard to believe," said Hywel. "You live in Camelot."

"Well, I guess I did take in an apprentice and ward."

All eyes swiveled to the gangly young man standing off to the side. Merlin gave a short wave.

"We've briefly met," said Garnet, laughter shining in his eyes. The two other knights at the table chuckled.

Gaius raised his eyebrow, but then after a moment of thought put it down. "I suppose you did tell me about that," he said, turning to Aldis.

"I do believe," said Aldis.

"How did you come to aquire a ward?" asked Hywel.

Gaius studied Merlin for a second before answering. "His mother, who was a former student of mine, sent him in hopes that I could teach him a thing or two."

"And have you?"

"I'd like to think so, yes. After all, he's been in my care for close to eight years now," the physician replied.

All eyes were on Merlin again. It took him a second to realize they wanted to hear his take on the matter. The manservant simply shrugged, which earned him a few good-natured laughs from the warriors around the table. Gaius simply raised his eyebrow and shook his head.

"He sure seemed to have an enthusiasm for collecting herbs," commented Hywel.

Gaius snorted. "He did. For about the first two weeks he was here."

"That's about a week longer than most," pointed out Aldis, who caught Merlin's gaze and smiled. Merlin rolled his eyes again, and Aldis coughed to cover up a laugh.

"His mother," began Garnet, "was she a student before or after the purge?" The giant knight did a once over of the manservant before returning his attention to Gaius. He still couldn't place why Merlin was so familiar-looking to him. The four men seated around the table caught the subtle meaning behind the words. _Did she study magic?_

Merlin, however, was oblivious to the dual meaning of the question.

"Before," Gaius answered simply, not wanting to dwell on that topic. The three brothers nodded, and, one by one, they all subconsciously glanced at him.

To the old man's relief, the subject passed without another comment. Instead, they talked about all the different things that had happened over the years, because even though they said nothing much had gone on in their lives, a lot actually had. It was well after sunset when the three warriors left, all nodding a farewell to Merlin as they walked out the door.

"Now," said Gaius as he closed the door behind his nephews, "let's get to work."

The old man walked over to one of his many bookshelves, and selected an old leather bound one from an eyelevel shelf. He moved to the table where, not five minutes before, a lively conversation had been taking place. Merlin leaned over his shoulder as Gaius opened to a page pre-marked with a strip of parchment.

"That incantation does look simple enough," said the young warlock.

"Yes, it does," agreed Gaius, "bu tif you had read more than that, you would see that it requires an immense amount of energy, a potion, and it doesn't always work."

Merlin turned his head to look at his mentor. " _This_ is what you're staking Elyan's life on?"

"It is what we have to work with, so we must do what we can."

Merlin nodded his head, knowing what Gaius said was true. They were running out of time, and had next to no other options left.

"How long will the potion take?"

"A couple of hours," said Gaius. "If we both work hard, we can have this done and over with before the sun rises. Memorize those words and I'll work on the potion."

With that, master and apprentice set to work.

* * *

Gaius stood above a boiling cauldron, stirring every few seconds, and throwing in this and that. Over at the table, Merlin stifled a yawn. The manservant had been there for what seemed like the entire night, memorizing the spell and perfecting pronunciation. It was an easy one, which was fortunate, considering the time crunch he and Gaius were on.

"I think we're nearly ready," said Gaius. "Fetch me a bottle and a stopper." Merlin complied immediately, handing the physician exactly what he asked for.

Gaius took a ladle, and filled the glass container with the slightly viscous grey-green liquid. Merlin hoped for Elyan's sake that it tasted better than it smelled.

Gaius put the stopper in and looked to Merlin. "You have the words committed to memory?" The raven-haired servant nodded. "Good. Let's get this over with."

…

The two quietly walked down the corridor. If a guard stopped them to ask what they were doing, traveling the corridors this late, Gaius could simply wave them off, telling him that they were attending to a patient, but that didn't do anything to ease Merlin's thoughts. They were wandering the halls, about to go perform magic on the queen's brother. That kind of thing was very frowned upon in Camelot.

To make him feel better, Merlin muttered a handful of words under his breath. His eyes briefly flashed gold.

Gaius looked over at his ward. "What was that for?"

"It'll alert me if there's anyone coming."

"Alright," said Gaius, not wanting to question the you man further.

Soon, they arrived at Elyan's chambers. Merlin silently opened the door, and then closed it when both he and Gaius had entered. Luckily, Gwen had gone back to her own rooms. There had been times when she spent the whole night asleep in the chair next to her brother.

"Hold his head up," the elderly physician said as he took the stopper out of the bottle.

Merlin did so, and Gaius began the slow process of getting the unconscious knight to swallow the contents of the container.

"Does he really have to drink it all?" asked Merlin, who was getting impatient.

Gaius took a deep breath. "Yes. It's absolutely necessary for the spell to work."

"You mean the spell that only sometimes works?" asked the manservant.

The old man raised his eyebrow at the young man on the opposite side of the bed. Merlin wisely didn't comment again.

A minute or so later, Gaius patted the bottom of the bottle, getting the remaining drops out.

"I believe we're ready," he said as he set the now-empty bottle on the bedside table.

Merlin nodded, and closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. This spell could dictate whether Elyan lived or died. He couldn't let Gwen down. After all, he promised to do all in his power to heal the knight.

With a deep breath, the warlock reached inside and grabbed his magic. It was a warm and familiar current, one that was always just below the surface. With barely a nudge, it flowed freely and Merlin began to speak.

" _Efencume ætgædre_ ," he opened his eyes. They were glowing gold. " _eala gastas cræft ige gestricaþ þis lic forod*_!"

The echo of the last word bounced off the walls, and then everything fell into an eerie silence. Both physician and warlock stood starting at Elyan, waiting in anticipation for something to happen.

Nothing did.

"Do you feel any different? Perhaps tired? Or worn out?" asked Gaius.

Merlin frowned. "I feel just like I did before we walked in here."

Gaius thought for a moment. "By chance, did you say it wrong?"

The manservant shook his head. "No. I said everything correctly, down to the last syllable."

The physician bowed his head, as if he was admitting defeat. "Then there is not much more we can do."

"Perhaps I should try it again?"

"No. If it didn't work the first time, it will not work the second time," said Gaius. "The book did say it only sometimes works," he added as an afterthought.

Merlin sighed in agreement, disappointed in himself. He had failed Gwen, one of his closest friends. Now all they could do is give the knight enough pain medicine, so that he felt nothing as the poison took his life.

Merlin felt tears threatening to fall. It was always hard to lose someone you cared for, but he had to be strong for Gwen.

"We better get back to our rooms" said Gaius quietly, "It is going to be a long couple of days ahead."

Merlin nodded, absent-mindedly grabbing the bottle from the bedside table.

Before he had even taken two steps, his breath caught in his throat, and every muscle in his body tightened before completely losing all strength. The light, which wasn't that bright to begin with, was dimming around him as he collapsed to the floor, the bottle falling to the ground with him and shattering on impact.

"Merlin!" Gaius yelled as he rushed to his side. The warlock was struggling to breath. The physician rolled him onto his back, muttering a silent prayer for the wellbeing of his ward. Underneath his half-closed eyelids, Merlin's eyes were blazing with gold.

"What in the name of all that's good…" muttered Gaius, completely perplexed as to what was going on.

Then, as soon as the fit had happened, Merlin's eyes turned back to their normal cobalt color, and his breathing began to even out. The manservant's head was shiny with a layer of sweat. It seemed as if Merlin had fallen asleep.

Up on the bed, Elyan began violently coughing. Gaius hesitated, not wanting to just leave Merlin lying on the floor like that, but decided Elyan needed his attention more at this point and time.

On the bed, the knight was twitching and breathing heavy, almost as if he was trapped in a nightmare. Gaius placed a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him. Elyan began coughing once more before his eyes fluttered open and his body calmed down.

Gaius smiled in relief.

"It's nice to see you awake, Sir Elyan."

Elyan slowly blinked a few times. He moved his lips to say something, but no sound came out.

"What's that?" asked Gaius.

"Water," Elyan managed to get out. His voice was hoarse and it obviously took effort to speak.

Gaius nodded and moved to bring a ladle-full of water from the pail by the widow. He let Elyan slowly sip some, not wanting to overdo it.

The physician put the ladle back, and returned to the knight's side. "Rest," he gently said. "You need it. I will be back in the morning."

Elyan didn't need to be told twice. He was fast asleep before Gaius turned to walk away.

The physician paused next to Merlin. The manservant was out cold. How the hell was he supposed to get him back to his bed? Gaius sighed. Sometimes he was as much trouble as he was helpful.

Right on cue, Merlin's eyes slowly opened.

"Merlin?" Gaius asked.

The manservant groaned. "I think the spell worked," he weakly said.

The old man couldn't help himself, he chuckled a little. "Yes, I do believe you're right.

"Gaius?"

"Yes Merlin?"

"The book was right. It does take a lot of energy."

"I noticed," commented the physician. "Now if you're able, I think it would be best if you could make your way back to your own bed. Sleeping on Sir Elyan's floor might raise some questions."

Merlin took a deep breath before he slowly made his way to his feet. The warlock stumbled a bit before Gaius helped hold him up.

The manservant lazily looked around.

"Gaius?"

"Yes, Merlin?"

"I think I broke your bottle."

It took all of the old man's strength not to burst out laughing at that comment. "Yes," he finally managed. "I think you did."

The two then slowly made their way back to the physician's quarters. Gaius supported Merlin most of the walk back.

The second Merlin's head hit his pillow, he was out like a light.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm happy to report that the next one is almost half done as well! I hope this one was up to par with all the others, it has honestly been over a month since I last wrote something. (Stupid life getting in the way of all the fun stuff…)**

 **Anyways… thank you to all you wonderful readers and reviewers. And a special thanks to the handful of you who've sent me PM's and reviews to ask if I still plan on doing this story. It was you guys who motivated me to stop working and dealing with all the stressful things for a couple of hours to write this. Love you all!**

 **Oh, and leave a review before you go? They make my day!**

 **Until next time!**

 ***The spell was a healing one I grabbed off the MerlinWiki**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Do you really believe that a mere servant, a weakling such as yourself, can stop me from achieving my goal?" He said. He was tall, with hair as black as coal. His cold eyes bored into Merlin, who stood there, in the middle of the throne room. Surrounding them, was everyone Merlin cared about. Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine and Elyan, who were in perfect health, Leon, Percival, Gaius, Balinor, his mother, and even Aldis and his two brothers. They were all unconscious and sprawled on the stone floor. Or… were they dead? No. The manservant refused to even think about that possibility. Merlin could not fail them. He would not fail them.

"Well?" he demanded.

Merlin's eyes flicked to the sword that lay off to the side. It was Arthur's sword. The one Kilgharra had forged in his fire.

"I'm growing impatient, boy. Either answer me, or I will strike you down where you stand."

Merlin continued to eyeball the sword.

"Very well then," he said as he walked forward, the boredom evident in his voice. Merlin looked up just in time to watch him swing his sword…

And then he sat up in bed, covered in a cold sweat, panting. Moonlight shone through the window, casting a pale light into the small room.

It was a dream. A dream, Merlin told himself. Just a dream.

But it was so real.

It was too real to be just a dream. Merlin leaned back against his pillow. His heart was pounding in his chest. This was not the first time he'd had a dream like that, and it most likely would not be the last. It was a vison.

And the fact that he had it now, after so many little things had happened, it scared him. First the knights getting attacked whilst on patrol, then the break in after the welcome feast, and most recently, Elyan being poisoned. Alone, those three things wouldn't be enough to trigger a warning, but the fact that they had all happened so close together, while a royal delegation was visiting… it made Merlin uneasy. But now, now that he just had a vison, and a violently ending one at that, Merlin was scared. He now knew that all those events were part of something bigger, and he did not want to see the end result.

Especially if it led to the death of those he cared about.

Especially if it led to his death.

The manservant rolled over onto his side and stared at the floor. Visons always came true even if you tried to stop them. He'd learned that the hard way. Usually, though, they came in snippets, giving a brief preview of several events that quickly pass. The one he just had, however, had been a whole scene. Merlin felt as if it was foreshadowing something bad to come, and that it would happen soon. After all, his father and uncles had been a part of it.

And… so had his mother? Maybe it wasn't a vision. Perhaps it was just a dream because Hunith would never just show up to Camelot unless something bad was happening at home. Yes, it had to have been just a bad dream.

With that easing his thoughts, Merlin pulled his thin blanket up to his chin and settled into a light sleep.

* * *

All too soon the morning bells were ringing, and Merlin was throwing open Arthur's curtains.

"Ri… rise and shine!" he called out as he yawned. From under the covers, the young king muttered something unintelligible.

"Oh, don't be that way," said Merlin as he set out Arthur's breakfast. "After all, mornings are half of your life."

Even though his back was to the king, the manservant could feel him glaring daggers into his back.

With a few more muttered words, Arthur managed to pull himself out from under his blankets. It took him a couple of seconds more before he made the effort to walk to the table.

The room stayed in a comfortably quite state as Arthur ate and Merlin went about his morning routine. The raven-haired servant didn't even hum as he worked. Arthur was halfway through his meal when he noticed how unusually silent Merlin was this morning. Normally, he was chatting away. Looking up, the king noticed that Merlin was paler than normal, and that he looked exhausted.

"Are you sick?"

"Huh?" Merlin asked, looking up from the clothing he was laying out.

"You look sick. Are you?"

"Uhh, no. Just tired," answered the servant.

"Did you not sleep well?" Arthur inquired.

Merlin took a deep breath. "It was a long night."

"Out late seeing that girl again?"

"No," Merlin said simply, not having the energy to protest that matter again.

"Well then what?" asked Arthur, honestly curious.

"Why do you care?" snapped Merlin. "You've never before."

Arthur raised his eyebrows at Merlin's little outburst. "Am I not allowed to make conversation with my servant?"

"It's your castle sire, you make the rules."

The king stared at him as he took a deep drink from his goblet. "It's not like you ever follow them."

Merlin shrugged. "Very true."

The silence that followed was an uncomfortable one.

"Come on, Merlin, just tell me," said Arthur after he had enough.

"Fine," said the servant. "If you must know, I spent most of the night at Elyan's bedside in attempt to keep him from dying. Happy?"

That grabbed Arthur's attention. The king sat up straight, his body and all his senses completely alert. He had no clue that Elyan's condition was so bad. "And is he alive?"

Merlin nodded. "There was a time where his fate could have been death, but he made a turn for the better. With any luck, he should be up and talking soon."

Arthur sighed in relief. Not only was Elyan a close friend of his, but also his wife's brother. It would be a sad day indeed if he died.

The king finished his meal, and pushed his plates to the side. Out of nowhere, a shirt smacked him in the face. Arthur grunted as he tore the fabric away from his eyes.

"Merlin what the hell…" before he could finish his sentence, he caught a face-full of pants.

"You better hurry and get dressed," Merlin said as he cleared the table, "The first meeting of the day starts soon."

"You are the worst servant I have ever had," hissed Arthur as he stood.

"And you're the biggest prat I've ever met!" Merlin cheerfully said as he opened the door to leave the room, arms filled with dirty dishes.

The servant pulled the door shut with his foot and turned to go to the kitchens.

"Well it's not every day you hear a servant address a king as 'prat'," said an amused voice from behind.

Merlin turned, and was greeted by the sight of Princess Melaina. He grinned. "Maybe not in Navenna, but it's a daily thing here in Camelot."

She raised her delicate dark eyebrows. "In Navenna, a servant would find himself harshly punished for such a thing."

"Then it's a good thing I don't live in Navenna," Merlin countered, the grin still etched on his face. "Good day, My Lady." And with that, the servant continued on his way. In Navenna, he'd probably get thrown in the stocks for ending a conversation with a noble in such a way. It was definitely a good thing he lived in Camelot.

Behind him, Melaina was standing flabbergasted at the behavior of the manservant. But, she couldn't help it; she was incredibly entertained as well. Merlin was probably one of her favorite people in Camelot, and if her hunches were correct… well, he'd be more than just a servant.

She stood standing there for a while after he had disappeared around a corner, lost in thought. She was so tuned out that she didn't even notice when her uncle walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. The contact startled Melaina and made her jump.

"Any particular reason you're standing here, staring at a wall?" Balinor asked.

The princess hesitated before answering. "No," she simply said.

"Alright," said Balinor, knowing full well something was on her mind. She would talk in her own time. "We best be on our way, the first meeting starts soon."

With a nod, Melaina fell in step with her uncle.

* * *

"Merlin, it is a simple thing I ask of you," pleaded Gwaine.

The manservant shook his head. "Sorry, but Gaius gave his orders. No alcohol until he says so." The knight had gone five (look up), almost six whole days without a single drop of mead, cider, or wine. He was becoming more and more desperate for some with each passing second. The fact that he couldn't leave his bed didn't help either.

Gwaine sighed in exasperation. "At least stay here and keep me company?"

"I've got chores to do," Merlin said apologetically, "or I would."

"Mate, you look like you'll fall asleep in the middle of doing a chore. Sit down and rest a bit."

Merlin hesitated, looking out the window to check how high the sun was. He had time before he needed to bring Arthur his lunch, and it wouldn't do any harm to stay with Gwaine for a bit, but he couldn't. He wanted to be alone, to process the dream that had woken him up practically right after he'd drifted off last night.

"I have other things to do," the manservant finally answered. He looked over to his friend, an apologetic look in his eyes.

Gwaine looked like a puppy who just got kicked.

"I'll stop by later though," Merlin promised, "and I'll bring Percival."

The knight's expression softened. "I'm going to find you myself if you don't show up."

The corners of Merlin's mouth twitched. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Both," said Gwaine.

Merlin rolled his eyes as he left the room.

….

The manservant wandered until he found himself leaning on the stone railing of an outdoor passageway overlooking the courtyard.

"Do you really believe that a mere servant, a weakling such as yourself, can stop me from achieving my goal?"

The cold, cruel voice echoed through the young warlock's head. The man in his dream, who was he?

Probably another magic user hell-bent on getting revenge on the Pendragons.

Whoever he was, the thought of him chilled Merlin to the core. Although the warlock could, in detail, recall his voice and his angry, cold eyes, Merlin could not picture the rest of him. The mental image was fuzzy and unclear. The rest of the scene, however, was something that would stay in his head for a long while. His friends and family, all sprawled across the floor of the throne room. Merlin wasn't sure if they were unconscious… or worse. Just the thought of his mother, lying dead at the hands of that man, aggravated Merlin. Nobody hurt her and got away with it. Nobody.

The possibility that any one of the people he'd come to care for over the years could be put in harm's way aroused several emotions in Merlin. Ever since the warlock had walked through the gates all those years ago, he'd been the one saving everybody, whether they knew it or not. He could not fail them. He needed to be there to protect them.

In his dream, he had failed them. He had let them get hurt.

He couldn't even defend himself. He didn't even _try_ to stop the blow. The dream ended with that man killing him, leaving everyone else in that room extremely vulnerable . Merlin could not let that happen. A storm was coming, that much the warlock could sense. For the sake of everyone who mattered to him, he had to be ready when it hit.

A bell rang out, signaling noon. The sound was enough to bring Merlin out of his dark, depressing thoughts and back to reality.

Unfortunately, reality meant bringing food to a prat who was probably still angry at Merlin for throwing clothes at him earlier that morning. Oh, the joys of being a servant.

* * *

"This is going to be a momentous occasion, Merlin," said Arthur after his food had been set down in front of him.

"What is?" asked the manservant, wondering what put the king in such a good mood.

"The signing of the treaty," the blonde answered. "Not only will it unite the two strongest kingdoms around, but it will unite two kingdoms who have been at odds for years. Since the beginning of the Purge, to be exact."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure everyone already knew that," commented Merlin. "Did the realization just dawn on you?"

Arthur shot him a glare. "Shut up."

The manservant shrugged. "Just wondering."

The king shook his head and went back to his meal.

The treaty was coming along much faster than anyone had anticipated. It helped that both parties were willing to bend a little. The delegation from Navenna was generous and polite, something one rarely saw during such negotiations. It seemed as if peace was something they wanted, and were willing to work for. With any luck, they treaty would be ready to go a few days early.

"Merlin," said Arthur as he pushed his plates away. There servant didn't reply.

"Merlin," Arthur tried again. Looking over to window, he saw that the raven-haired man was leaned up against the wall, staring out it.

"Merlin!" the king yelled.

"Hmm?" The manservant turned away from the window.

Arthur gave him a confused look. "What is with you today?"

"Oh, nothing. Just tired."

"Right," said Arthur, clearly not buying it. "You're acting much stranger than you normally do when you are tired."

Merlin looked towards the window. "Just a funny feeling. Like something big is about to happen."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Something big is about to happen. A treaty with the kingdom of Navenna. Speaking of which, I have another meeting to attend to. Muck out the stables today, would you?"

Merlin sent a look of exasperation towards the king.

"And bring me my dinner on time!" called Arthur as he made for the door.

"Something big," Merlin whispered after the door was closed, the feeling in his gut increasing.

….

 _It was a dream. Just a bad dream_ , Merlin kept mentally repeating as he walked down the halls. He didn't muck out the horses like Arthur had asked. Instead he wandered. The more he thought about his dream, the more it seemed like a vison, but the more he thought of it as a vison, the more it seemed like a dream. He just couldn't make up his mind on what it actually was.

Every single one of his thoughts contradicted each other.

It had gotten to the point where he was almost desperate enough to go and ask the dragon what he thought. Almost.

Instead, he'd decided to go and see if Gaius needed anything. Even the simplest task would help him focus on something else.

With a destination in mind, Merlin set off, weaving his way through the corridors of the castle until he arrived at the physician's quarters. Inside, he heard voices. Perhaps a patient, mused the warlock. The thought lifted his spirits slightly because that meant there would be work for him. He opened the door and walked in.

The conversation stopped as he closed it behind him.

"Ah, Merlin, done with today's work?" asked Gaius, but Merlin didn't hear him. The manservant was focused on the other person in the room.

The woman smiled. "Merlin," she said with a warm smile as she held out her arms.

"Mother? What are you doing here?" Merlin nearly whispered, all remaining color draining from his face. "No, no, no this can't be happening."

* * *

The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon when someone rapped on his door.

Balinor looked up from the letter he was writing. "Enter!" he called out, wondering who was on the other side.

The door opened and Melaina walked in. Balinor perked up in surprise. He was sure she was still too mad at him to talk.

Before he could greet her, she spoke. "Are you willing to help me this time, or will I be left to my own devices?"

"What are you talking about?" asked the prince in confusion.

"Do you remember the voice I talked about?"

Balinor nodded, hoping she'd just forget about the whole thing. It was a headache he didn't need.

Melaina took a deep breath. Ever since it had first echoed in her head, she had tried to go to her uncle for answers. Perhaps now that she had put together some of the pieces of this intricate puzzle, she could corner Balinor into giving her the rest.

"I found its source," she declared, studying her uncles face for any reaction.

Unfortunatly, Balinor had been trained from a young age to keep a neutral face in intense conversations such as this.

"It belongs to a dragon," she stated, staring him down, "and the dragon lives under the castle. I've been down there to see him."

Balinor closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Melaina crossed her arms across her chest, and smirked. She had him exactly where she wanted him.

"The dragon talked to me," she said, fully aware that she was in control of this situation.

Balinor's eyes snapped open. Other than that, he showed no outward sign of interest in the conversation. "What did he say?"

Melaina took a half a step back. Her uncle's voice was tired and worn out. That was something she never had witnessed before. She hesitated a second before answering, realizing now that there was perhaps a reason Balinor had avoided this topic. The mere mention of the dragon seemed to put weight on his shoulders.

"Several things," she finally answered.

"Such as?"

"He told me he wanted to meet the eldest daughter of Kaeden Ambrosius. He seemed very amused that I was not a son."

Balinor stared at her, studying her face like she had just done to him. "What else?"

"He wanted to give me advice."

"Advice from a dragon rarely comes without a price," commented Balinor, his eyes narrowing.

"He asked for nothing," Melaina assured, "he only wanted to give me advice 'should I choose to heed it'."

"And what advice did he give?"

Melaina shifted her gaze so that she was looking her uncle directly in the eye. "He told me to trust the kings' manservant because he will be my closest ally." There. At the mention of Merlin, Balinor's eyes had briefly widened. Not very much, but enough to tell Melaina that her uncle did know something.

"He also said that there was more to him than I will ever know."

Balinor was dead silent for almost a minute.

"This is all… very unexpected," he finally said.

"You know there's more to him," said Melaina.

"And why do…"

"Because I've noticed the way you glance at him!" yelled Melaina, interrupting him. "At the welcome feast, when I found you in the physician's quarters, when you pass him in the hall!" she rapidly listed off.

Balinor calmly sat, his hands now folded in his lap. He knew his niece was just getting started.

"Not to mention how similar he looks in comparison to you. His smile is identical to yours! I may have only exchanged a few sentences with him here and there, but it's enough to tell me there is something different about him, even without the dragon's input! He is no normal servant, but something tells me you already knew that," she finished. "Now, will you help me, or not?"

Balinor sat, unmoving. There was no way she was that close to figuring it out. No way. As her uncle, he couldn't tell her the truth. It would put her well-being at stake. She would be torn between keeping the secret or telling her father. But, she already knew about the dragon. It's not like the situation would improve at all.

"What exactly do you want help with," the older man asked slowly.

"Solving the puzzle," Melaina answered, "Starting with who Merlin is, and how you know him."

Balinor inhaled deeply. He was torn. Melaina had always been his favorite niece. Being a girl, she was pushed aside by her father. He had taken her under his wing, helping raise her into the young woman she was today. It pained him having to keep such a large secret from her. But then again, she already knew about Hunith, about why she had to leave. This was merely adding to that story.

Melaina was a smart girl. She would realize how important keeping this secret was. Perhaps… perhaps it was reasonable for her to know.

"To start with," Balinor began, "I only recently met Merlin, and by that, I mean when we first arrived here. Since then, I've learned that he is the court physician's ward and apprentice, and King Arthur's manservant. As for who he is…"

Balinor paused, second guessing his decision. But Melaina had such an expectant look in her eye that he couldn't let her down now.

"He… he is Hunith's son."

Her eyes widened. "Hunith's son?"

Balinor nodded.

"But… would that mean that… he… is yours as well?"

Balinor nodded once more.

The look of shock on the young princess's face morphed into a smile. "I _knew_ it," she whispered.

* * *

 **A/N: And there's the chapter for you. The action is going to start picking up some real speed here. I realize this story is starting to drag on, and I need to end it at some point. I've got some twists coming that I really hope take some of you by surprise! Leave a review to take a guess at what may happen…**

 **Thank you to all the people who've followed, favorited, and reviewed! You are all wonderful!**

 **Until next time!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: The first scene of this chapter is a continuation of the scene last chapter where hunith showed up. After the first line break, the time line is back to normal.**

 ****Also, was acting up a few weeks ago when I last updated. A lot of people weren't getting notifications about any new chapters from any stories, so make sure you've read the previous chapter before this one.**

 **Thanks to all the followers and reviewers to this story!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Mother? What are you doing here?" Merlin nearly whispered, all remaining color draining from his face. "No, no, no this can't be happening."

Hunith frowned. All the joy the sight of her son brought quickly drained away. "Merlin?" she asked in the way only concerned mothers could, "are you alright?"

The young warlock swallowed hard. "Umm, yeah. Never better," he said, a fake smile attempting to form on his face.

Hunith put her hands on her hips and looked at him in a very disapproving way.

 _Damn it, she saw right through me,_ thought Merlin.

"Then get over here and give your mother a hug!" she announced.

Merlin gave a sigh of relief and crossed the room, not stopping until he was in his mother's embrace. Even though she was much smaller than him, Merlin felt safe in her arms. He decided right then she would not know about the dream. He couldn't bear to put something like that on her shoulders. Not only that, but admitting it out loud would make it a reality, and the manservant was not ready to accept it.

"Why are you here? You never come to visit," asked Merlin after the two had separated.

"Can't a mother come visit her son?"

"Um… well," Merlin stammered.

Hunith smiled, glad to be in the company of her one and only child once more. "I came because I missed you, and because we have a lot to talk about."

"What do you mean?" asked the manservant.

"Merlin, why don't you take a seat?"

"Mother what's going on," Merlin stated, more than he asked.

Hunith didn't answer. Instead, she sat on the wooden bench right next to the young warlock, staring at the ground while she collected her thoughts.

Gaius was silently standing across the room, there for moral support should his niece need it. Having spent so long keeping her silence, he knew this was going to be difficult for her. The old man had decided against informing her that Merlin already knew the truth. He wasn't quite sure why, he just did.

"Mother?" Merlin prompted after a handful of seconds without her talking.

Hunith looked over to her son. My, how he'd grown and matured since she last set eyes on him. He looked so much like his father. "I love you, but you know that."

That signature smile crept onto Merlin's face. "Yeah, I do."

"And it's because I love you so much, that I did what I did."

There were so many emotions mixed together on Hunith's face. Merlin had a sneaking suspicion about the direction this conversation was going.

"What do you mean by that?" the manservant asked

Hunith directed her gaze back to the floor. "I… think it's time I told you the truth."

"Merlin, I'm not just a peasant. And, neither are you. We have had to live that way your whole life because… of the threats of others. And… and… my family…" Hunith took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This is not how she wanted this conversation to go, but there was no turning back and restarting.

Merlin, who was sitting so close to Hunith that his shoulders were brushed up against hers, turned his torso and pulled his mother into his arms. He could tell she was stressed. He could tell she was upset. He could tell that she wanted to say things differently, but didn't know how to say them.

Hunith leaned her head against his chest. She remembered when he was still small enough to curl up in her embrace in the same fashion.

"Does this topic have anything to do with the visiting delegation?" Merlin quietly asked, hoping to help her find the right words. Hunith pulled away enough to look at his face. "Because if it is," the young warlock continued, "I already know."

* * *

 **(A/N: back to the regular timeline here)**

It was well after Melaina had left his rooms. It was so late, in fact, that Balinor hadn't seen any other living soul walking about the corridors.

He had a very specific destination in mind, somewhere he should have gone the night after he arrived.

He was going to see Kilgharra.

The dragon was going to be furious. He was going to be incredibly difficult to have a conversation with. But now that the damn fire-breathing lizard had drug his niece into matters she didn't need to be involved in, the dragonlord prince was going to deal with him, even if it cost him half the night.

The very first- and only- people Balinor encountered were the guards down in the dungeon. Stealth, patients, and a handful of muttered words allowed him to slip past them.

Much to his surprise, the dragon was sitting on his plateau, waiting for him when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Balinor had half-expected him to refuse to talk.

"I was beginning to wonder if you blatantly refused to acknowledge my presence," the great beast said in his deep, old, and slightly annoyed voice.

"I would have been here sooner, but I could hardly slip away," Balinor explained.

"You do not want to be here," stated Kilgharra.

"I never said that," replied the dragonlord.

"No. I suppose not." After a pause, the dragon spoke up again. "Why do you come to see me at this late hour?"

"Because of your decision to meddle. It will not be tolerated."

"My decision to meddle?" Kilgharra asked in an almost mocking fashion.

"You will leave Melaina alone. She does not need to be involved in anything."

Kilgharra studied the man before him. His outward appearance had aged in the many years since he last saw him, but the way he spoke, with the fire and confidence in his words, was the exact same. "You have come to care for the girl." It wasn't a question.

"She is my niece, of course I have."

The Great Dragon silently marveled at how quickly Balinor had risen to defend the eldest daughter of his brother.

"Then you should appreciate the fact that I gave her advice, should she choose to use it."

"What you told her only added to her confusion."

"It may have, but it very well could be the difference between life and death."

"Trusting King Arthur's manservant would really do that much?" said Balinor with skepticism.

"He is one of very few who can have such an effect. I would be careful how you judge him."

It took much of Balinor's willpower to keep from getting angry. "Believe me," he said calmly, "I would never doubt his abilities."

"Then listen to my advice as well," said Kilgharra, "Events are about to take place. Events that are fundamental to bringing about the foretold future and both your niece and the manservant play critical rolls."  
"He has a name," said Balinor, "and it would be Merlin."

Kilgharra inwardly smiled, but dared not show his satisfaction on the outside. So the prince _did_ know who the young warlock was. "It would do you well to trust _Merlin_ as well."

And with that, the golden dragon took flight, the chain attached to his leg rattling behind him.

"NOT SO FAST," Balinor shouted. The dragon nearly paused mid-flight. At the last second, he flung open his massive wings and glided in a half circle, landing on the plateau once more.

"What more could you possibly need?" Kilgharra hissed.

Balinor raised his eyebrow. "Mind your tone." In frustration, the Great Dragon blew smoke out of nose. "You _will_ leave Melaina alone. I will give you one chance. If I hear anything else from her about you, I will make my… request shall we call it, a command."

Kilgharra stared long and hard at the small human before him. "It is nice to see that you care for the wellbeing of _some_ of your kin." Out of nowhere, the golden beast launched into the air, out of sight before the dragonlord could say another word.

Inwardly fuming with rage, Balinor eyed the direction in which the dragon had disappeared. "Everything I did," he loudly said, "was for a reason. Take it or leave it, but it's the truth." Balinor turned on his heel, and began the journey back to his room.

 _Stupid lizard and his stupid warnings about the future_ , he mentally grumbled.

* * *

For the second time in less than a week, Merlin woke up, a sensation in his gut telling him something was off. The manservant sat up, alert and fully awake.

This was different than the last time, though. Then, he felt the urgency to find the mercenaries- even if he had no clue that's what he was looking for- and stop them. No, now he felt the sense of foreboding that he'd been feeling all day.

Except it was much worse.

The air itself felt like a dam in a stream, and the structure was about ready to give way to the ever-building pressure behind it.

Merlin pushed himself to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over the side. Standing up, the warlock walked quietly to the small window. Outside, the moon was bright and an uncountable number of stars glittered in the sky. Normally, Merlin would have taken time to marvel at how beautiful the scene was, but the anxiousness running through his veins wouldn't allow it.

Natural instinct told the manservant it was close to midnight. Soon, fresh guards would come to relieve the tired ones posted around the castle and its gates.

But something wasn't right…

It seemed as if the Earth was holding her breath. Everything outside was still. No dogs were barking. No guards walked along the castle walls. There wasn't a cloud in sight. Not even a slight breeze. It was like time had frozen.

And the tension kept building.

The scene out the window was akin to the calm before a huge storm. Full of unease, but at the same time, peaceful. Merlin studied every aspect of it, knowing he'd never see Camelot like this again. He also knew the feeling in his gut would keep him from falling back asleep, so there wasn't like he had anything better to do.

After a while, the warlock leaned on the sill. As soon as his elbows made contact with the wood, a gentle breeze ruffled his hair and somewhere in the lower town a dog let out a yip. The muscles in Merlin's back tightened. As Eerie as the stillness and silence was, the sudden change was even more so.

Down below, a pair of guards crossed the courtyard. The sight of other people helped relax him, it told him he wasn't alone on this strange night. He watched them until they were out of sight. As soon as they were gone, panic hit Merlin harder than a wooden club. He gripped the windowsill tightly, his magic bubbling just below the surface.

 _It's happening,_ thought Merlin, dread flowing through his body.

Suddenly, the alarm bells began to ring. The dam had broken. Something bad was about to happen.

* * *

The clanging of the bells woke Arthur. Immediately, the king was out of bed, and pulling on the shirt he had worn the day before. Luckily, it was still on the floor because Merlin, the terrible servant he was, had failed to pick up his dirty clothes.

Urgently, the king tied a black leather belt around his waist, hoping Leon was awake and alert. He pulled on a pair of boots, and rushed to the door.

At a fast pace, but calmly, Arthur hustled down the halls, which were quickly filling with activity. A good leader did not show nerves in the presence of his people.

"Sire!" a voice called from a little way ahead. Sure enough, it was Leon with Percival in tow.

"Why are the bells ringing?" asked Arthur.

Leon swallowed before answering. "We're under attack."

A look of confusion found its way onto the king's face. "By who?"

"We're not sure."

"Well find out!"

Leon looked over his shoulder towards Percival and nodded. The giant of a knight turned on his heel and took off down the corridor.

Arthur and Leon walked in step towards the council chambers.

"King Arthur," a voice echoed from behind. Both king and First Knight turned in unison.

"Prince Balinor," said Arthur, acknowledging the older man.

"What is happening?"

Arthur took a breath. _Of course_ something would happen in the middle of an important visit. "Unfortunately, we are under attack," he answered simply.

Balinor raised his eyebrows in surprise. Barely missing a beat, he spoke again. "If there is anything we can do to help, myself and my knights are more than willing."

"I hope it won't come to that," Arthur replied.

"I have full faith in your men," said Balinor.

"Thank you," said Arthur, "Now if you'll excuse us, we must head to the council chambers."

"Of course," said the prince with a slight bow of his head.

Arthur and Leon set off again.

* * *

"Did you find anything out?" Sir Hywel asked as Balinor approached his delegation.

The eight other members of the group had congregated in the hall outside of their rooms.

With a nod, Balinor answered. "There's been an attack on Camelot."

"Camelot is one of the strongest kingdoms around," said Sir Aldis. "Who the hell thinks it's a good idea to attack it?"

Balinor shrugged. "I'm not even sure Arthur knows."

"Well isn't that just spectacular," muttered Aldis.

The prince shot him a look. "I've offered all of our services, should Arthur need it."

Balinor looked at the faces around him. Of course, there were the three Bordel brothers and Melaina, but there was also the Royal Scribe of Navenna and two other knights; three men who had kept very low profiles since the group's arrival, rarely leaving their rooms except for the meetings. He knew at least the knights he could count on to aid Camelot. The Scribe, however, was very aged and not skilled with a weapon. Melaina… well, was Melaina. She'd do what she wanted when she wanted it. No questions asked.

"And we'll gladly step up to fight," said Hywel. "After all, Camelot's our ally now."

Four of the five knights nodded in agreement. Out of the corner of his eye, Balinor eyed the fifth man, Sir Mereck. He mentally made a note to keep an eye on him.

"Excellent," said Balinor. "Until you're needed, relax as much as you can, but stay awake."

The knights mumbled their compliances as they wandered away. The old scribe quietly slipped away to his room, leaving just Balinor and Melaina in the hall.

The princess stared at her uncle for a handful of seconds. "What now?" she asked in a near whisper.

Balinor locked eyes with her. "We wait, and hope for the best."

"Do you think Camelot will hold?" she asked in a worried voice.

"Don't fret over it," comforted her uncle. "I'm sure it's just a minor assault. Camelot is strong. Arthur is a wise king. It would take an army with immense strength to do any damage."

Melaina nodded, slightly reassured by Balinor's words.

"Come," said the prince, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you back to your room."

 _Is this what Kilgharra was warning about?_ the prince grimly wondered.

* * *

Just like in the mornings, Merlin hurried his way through the halls. Except, instead of dodging nobles and other servants, he was weaving his way through the Knights and guards that were making their own way through the corridors.

The manservant arrived at the council chambers in record time. (He only _almost_ tripped once.) As quiet and stealthy as a mouse, he slipped in through the partially open doors and stood back in the shadows, waiting until he was needed.

"…. they _appear_ to just be mercenaries, Sire," reported Sir Kay.

"But…" prompted Arthur, leaning on the table- which took up most of the room- with both hands.

"But there is enough to call them an army. A small army, but a force nonetheless," concluded Kay

Arthur stared at the table. They could deal with a small force of mercenaries, they'd done so several times before and the knights were stronger than they'd been in a long while. "Damage report?" he asked to nobody in particular.

"They've ransacked quite a bit of the lower town, and set several houses on fire. But a barricade was put up and they've made no effort to cross it," Sir Leon spoke up.

"And the people?" Arthur asked, looking up.

"The town-folk are safe," Percival supplied.

"Good." Arthur said with a single nod. "I want everyone armed and ready. We will put an end to this fast."

A scattered chorus of "Sire" echoed through the room. As the knights bowed and left. As usual, Arthur was the last to leave.

"Come _on_ Merlin. I need my armor," said the King as he passed his servant.

Merlin silently fell in step just behind him. Something told the young warlock this was more than just a small army of mercenaries. This was just the rain beginning to fall, and heaven help them when the storm picked up.

After all, why would they make no effort to break through the barricade?

* * *

 **A/N: Things are just getting started. I've got a few fun things planned. (Well, at least I think they're fun. You as readers may disagree…)**

 **I hope to update soon, seeing as I've got the rest of the story plotted out to a T.**

 **Until then!**

 **On, and maybe leave a review? They make my day!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I'm so sorry for how late this is. I hope you guys who are following this haven't lost interest...**

 **Anyway... Enjoy!**

* * *

"Did you make sure to sharpen my sword after I last trained?" asked Arthur as Merlin tightened the last few straps on his armor.

"Yep," answered the manservant. The pair were back in Arthur's chambers. It was dimly lit because there had been time to light only a couple of candles.

"Good," said Arthur with a nod as Merlin finished the last strap. The manservant moved to the table, grabbing the leather sheath that was holding Arthur's sword. Without any assistance, the king tied it around his waist, and began walking out of the room.

As he walked down the hall, Arthur was a picture-perfect replica of a calm and confident leader; determined, strong, and ready to charge into battle. Right behind him was Merlin, who was not as warrior-like. In fact, he was the exact opposite. Right on cue, the manservant stumbled, and ended up sprawled on the floor. Arthur stopped walking and turned around.

"Damn it, Merlin. This is a serious matter, we can't delay!"

Merlin smiled sheepishly as he found his feet and dusted off the front of his shirt. "I hadn't noticed," he quietly commented. Arthur shook his head, amazed at how clumsy Merlin could be. It took a special kind of talent to trip over thin air.

"I want you to assist Gaius with the injured people down in the infirmary," said Arthur once the pair had started moving again.

Even though the king couldn't see him, Merlin nodded. It's not like he was going to do anything different, after all he could hardly help in battle without his magic.

"Sir!" called Sir Leon from up ahead.

"What news do you have?" asked Arthur

"The enemy has begun forming in front of the barricade," the knight said urgently.

"Gather the troops. If they cross that barricade, then we best be ready for them."

"Right away," said Leon with a short bow. The knight headed off, his curls bouncing as he turned.

Merlin drew level with Arthur. The king turned to him. "Don't do anything stupid, alright?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," the manservant replied.

"I'm serious, Merlin. I want a castle to return to," Arthur called over his shoulder as he took off after his first knight.

Merlin rolled his eyes as he headed to the makeshift infirmary, which was in a room across the hall from the throne room.

* * *

Even though the attack had not been going on for long, there was already a dozen men laying on various tables through the space. Several of them were bandaged up, while others, such as the red-haired man Gaius was attending to, were more seriously injured, and required a little more than just a piece of cloth tied around their wound.

Scanning the room, Merlin saw Gwen in one of her old maid dresses with her sleeves rolled up, helping in any way she could. The only other people helping Gaius at this point and time were two other servants and Hunith. For a brief moment Merlin was mad at his mother. She should _not_ be out in the open like this. What if the mercenary army managed to break through Camelot's defenses, and take the citadel? Yes, it was unlikely, but still. Also, what would happen if Balinor, or one of his uncles were to walk in and see her? Everything that she had worked so hard to keep secret would suddenly risk being brought to light.

Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts.

No, Hunith needed to be here. Besides himself and Gaius, she was the only other one in the castle who had been medically trained by a physician. After straightening his neckerchief, the young warlock headed across the room, so he could work side by side with her.

"Ah, Merlin," she said looking up from the guard whose wound she was stitching, "tend to that young man's arm, would you?" she asked, nodding towards the next table over.

The young man was struggling to prop himself up. "It's alright, just lay down," said Merlin, noticing his left sleeve was dark with blood. The man hesitated, clearly not wanting to do so. Slowly, Merlin inhaled. "On second thought, here, let me help you sit up."

After getting the man situated, Merlin rolled up his blood-soaked sleeve, revealing a nasty gash that went from the tip of his elbow to the back of his palm.

"This may need stitches," said Merlin, looking up, "but it might not. We'll have to see what it looks like once I clean it."

The man nodded, and Merlin moved to find supplies.

Soon, he came back with an armload of items, including a bucket of clean water and several rags. "This may sting," warned the manservant as he prepared to dab at the gash with a wet rag.

Several minutes and a handful of swears later, Merlin decided no stitches were necessary, just a bandage. After tying off the cloth, the manservant stood and faced his mother, who had just finished attending to her patient.

"How are you?" he asked.

"It's been a while since I've stitched a wound like that," she replied

Merlin smiled. They had barely talked since she found out he knew the truth. "But you still did a fantastic job."

"Well, it's not an easy skill to forget."

"Come," said Merlin, motioning for her to follow, "let's go see what else Gaius needs."

With Merlin leading the way, mother and son made their way over to the physician. Gaius, who was rinsing out dirty rags, looked up.

"Ah, Merlin. I was wondering when you'd show up. Do you know what's going on?"

"Not much more than you," admitted the manservant, "the knights were slow to report."

"The patients are saying it was a small army," prompted Hunith.

"Yeah, mercenaries," said Merlin.

"Have they been hired by someone?"

"Not that anyone knew of half an hour ago. Arthur and the knights have gone down to the lower town to fend them off." It might have been pure coincidence, but as he said that, the fluttery feeling in Merlin's gut returned.

"Are they sure they can hold them?" asked Gaius.

Merlin looked to him. "They were confident they could do so."

"Good," concluded the old man. He looked around. "We seem to have things under control here. Why don't you go check on Elyan and Gwain? Knowing the latter, he'll be a little anxious to get in on the action."

Merlin nodded, suddenly concerned that Gwain had decided to jump out of bed, don his armor, and head down to the lower town. He certainly wouldn't put it past the drunkard knight to do just that.

* * *

As he fast walked through the corridors, Merlin wondered how he would be able to convince Gwain to sit this one out. Maybe he'd sneak him some mead. Maybe he'd cast a sleeping spell. Maybe he'd just lock the door and take the key.

No… that last one wouldn't work. Knowing Gwain, he'd kick the door in or light it on fire or do something completely irrational to get out, even if it meant harming himself even more.

As Merlin rounded the corner that led to the hallway where the knight's room was located, he stopped in his tracks and sighed in irritation.

There was Gwain, limping towards him.

And beside him was Elyan, a sight which surprised the warlock beyond measure.

* * *

Arthur had just made it to the barricade when one of his knights, Sir Owen, approached him.

"Sire," he began, with a short bow, "The mercenaries have sent forth a man under the flag of truce. We believe they want to negotiate terms."

"A band of mercenaries, peacefully wanting to negotiate terms?" Arthur questioned.

Owen shrugged. "Perhaps it's the man who they're working for."

"Alright," said Arthur after a second. "I'll meet with him. Where's Leon?"

"Here, sire," called out the First Knight from behind the king.

"Leon, you come with me," said Arthur, turning around. Behind Leon towered Percival. "And you too, Percival," added the blonde. After all, it might help to have a mass of muscle backing him up.

"Now, where's this man?" the king asked Owen.

"On the other side of the barricade," answered the knight.

"I don't like that," said Leon. "We would have to either open or go around the best defense we have set up in order to meet him."

Arthur crossed his arms across his chest and nodded, attempting to think of a solution. He looked to his right to study the barricade, which was mostly formed with wagons, boards of wood, larger rocks, and fire logs. "How far back are the mercenaries?"

Owen was quick to reply. "A handful of houses down, at least one hundred yards, if not more."

"I take it the barricade is sturdy enough to hold several men?"

"Yes, Milord," answered Owen.

"Even if an opening large enough to fit the three of us through was created?" asked Arthur as he waved his arm, motioning to Percival, Leon, and himself.

"I don't see why not," said Owen, "that's good, solid wood."

"Excellent. I want a dozen arches posted on top, to watch over us as we meet with the man. Keep the hole in the barricade open, but post our best men around it. If things go bad, I want the defense strong enough so it's like the opening isn't there."

"Right away, sire." And with that, Owen and half a dozen other knights set to work. With the help of four or five foot soldiers, they moved one of the wagons _just_ enough so that if he turned sideways, Percival could fit through. Seconds later, the twelve archers Arthur had requested were peering over the barricade, ready to protect their king.

Arthur looked at Leon and motioned to the opening with his head. "Let's go." To offer as much protection as they could, Leon took the lead while Percival brought up the rear.

Once the trio had cleared the opening, Arthur saw the man Owen spoke of. Perhaps an inch or so shorter than Arthur, and much less fit, the man stood a few paces in front of two warrior-like men, one of which held a branch with a white cloth tied to the top.

Before Arthur could talk, the man spoke up. "Ah, the mighty king has decided to show himself. I half expected you to be cowering in your castle, but yet… here you are."

As much as Arthur wanted to respond to the man's comment, he knew better. "Why do you come under the flag of truce?" he asked instead.

"To give Camelot a chance to surrender," the man replied simply.

Camelot? Surrender? "And why would we do that?" the king inquired.

"Because if you don't, my employer will squash you under his boot, much like you would do to an ant."

Standing to the right of Arthur, Leon's eye narrowed ever so slightly. A couple of days previous, while the knight was interrogating the mercenaries who had broken into the castle, one had hinted at the man who he worked for. Could it possibly be the same person?

"Camelot is strong," said Arthur, "Unless your employer is a mighty king, I highly doubt he would stand a chance at taking her."

"Your forces are weaker than you realize," stated the man. "I suggest you surrender now, and save your men from the bloodshed that will happen if you don't."

The young king studied the man before him. "Who is your employer?"

The corners of his lips twitched. "Someone who _really_ wants to dethrone the king."

Arthur raised his eyebrow. "Morgana?"

The man let out a short, humorless laugh. "The witch has nothing to do with any of this."

"Then who?"

"You'll find out once you're kneeling before him."

Arthur stared down the man, and the man held his gaze. After several tense moments, he spoke again.

"I will give you one more chance Arthur Pendragon. Surrender."

"Never," the king's voice rang out. "And most certainly not to a faceless enemy." With dignity, the king turned on his heel, his red cloak rippling behind him. Leon and Percival followed suit.

"Very well," the man muttered under his breath as the three knights disappeared behind the barricade. "I shall report your decision to my employer."

* * *

"Elyan?" said Merlin in surprise. "Why… What… _how?_ "

The queen's brother shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But whatever the hell you and Gaius gave me worked like a charm."

Merlin stared at him in confusion. _What Gaius and I gave him?_

And then it dawned on him.

 _The spell._

"I'm glad it worked," said Merlin, trying not to panic. If anyone saw Elyan walking around barely a day after he'd been on his deathbed, it would not bode well for anyone. Magic would most certainly be accused of being involved.

But, then again, everyone was so caught up with the treaty and the mercenary attack, the knight's miraculous recovery might very well go unnoticed. The young warlock really hoped that was the case.

"Merlin, mate, have you gone def?" said Gwaine

"Huh?" questioned Merlin as he was snapped out of his thoughts.

"What did you give me?" asked Elyan.

"Oh, um… Gaius found a potion in one of his old books. It hasn't been used in a while." Merlin looked at both men before him. Technically, it wasn't a lie. Gaius _did_ find a potion in one of his old, leather-bound books, _and_ it had been years since it was last used. The manservant just failed to mention the usage of magic mixed in there.

"It's a good thing he came across it then," said Elyan with a smile.

"A damn good thing," agreed Gwaine.

Merlin suddenly remembered why he had left the infirmary to come up here.

"Gwaine, _what_ are you doing out of bed?"

"I am doing my duty as a knight!" proclaimed the man. "The warning bells have rung, so therefore, I must grab my sword and run to assist the Princess."

"Gaius hasn't released you," Merlin said slowly.

"Like that's going to stop me," said Gwaine as he started limping forward down the corridor.

"You can't run," stated the manservant.

"I can still swing a sword!"

Merlin and Elyan exchanged a look.

"Gaius is going to drug you, and keep you that way until you heal," Merlin called over his shoulder.

"I'm fine with that," said Gwaine. "It beats sitting around fully aware of how little I can do."

The drunkard knight disappeared around the corner.

"He's not going to make it down the stairs," commented Elyan.

Merlin shook his head in exasperation. "Not standing, anyways." The warlock took off after his friend before he could injure himself more, and Elyan fell into place just behind him.

"Why did the bells ring?" asked the knight.

"A force of mercenaries attacked," explained the manservant, "but as far as I'm aware, nobody, not even Arthur, knows who they work for."

Even though Merlin couldn't see it, Elyan grimly nodded once. "Then I must do what I can to help."

Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, causing Elyan to run into his back. It was a risk sending him out there. What if someone realized he was suddenly perfectly healthy?

No… that wouldn't happen. There were about four people in the castle who knew how serious the knight's condition had become. Even if Arthur did notice his brother-in-law running around swinging his sword, the king would be too caught up in battle to care.

"Just… be careful, okay? I'd rather not have to patch you up again so soon," the warlock said to the knight.

Elyan clapped Merlin's shoulder. "I'll be fine don't worry."

Merlin watched Elyan retreat towards the corridor that led to the stairs. "Oh, and Elyan?"

The knight glanced over his shoulder.

"Keep an eye on Gwaine, would you? There's no way I'd be able to stop him from fighting."

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," the knight replied with a smile.

As soon as he was gone, Merlin looked up and down the hall. The second Elyan had bumped into him, the anxious feeling in his gut had returned. It had nothing to do with either of the knights who had just ran off. No, whatever it was, whatever his magic was trying to tell him, it had to do with something- or someone- in the castle.

* * *

 **A/N: We're in the home stretch of this story! Thanks to all the wonderful readers who follow, favorite, and especially those who review. Without you guys, this story would have gone nowhere.**

 **Leave a review and tell me what you think! (Reviews always give me inspiration!)**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: So this chapter is about 5 months late. Please don't hate me. I really hope you all are still interested in this story after so long!**

 **Enjoy the chapter! I should have posted it a long time ago…**

* * *

Deep breaths. Anxious pacing. Wringing her hands together.

At the moment, the Crown Princess of Navenna was anything but calm and collected. She kept sending glances towards the window, hoping the warm glow of the sun would appear over the horizon.

Sun meant morning, and morning meant she could at least _see_ what was going on outside.

Dawn was still hours away.

Yes, she had full confidence in the knights of Camelot, but that didn't do anything to calm her nerves. What if this attack was stronger than King Arthur expected? What if there was nothing he and his men could do to send the enemy away in defeat?

Night had always magnified her imagination.

Right now, Melania wanted nothing more than to go to her uncle's room, and to have him comfort her. But Balinor had given his orders. He wanted each member of the delegation to stay put in the rooms assigned to them. Under normal circumstances, she'd roll her eyes at this and go see him anyways.

This wasn't normal circumstances. She feared that if she walked out that door, those mercenaries would be right there in the hall, ready to capture – or worse – kill her. It was an irrational fear, she knew that, but she still wouldn't risk it.

Casting one more longing look towards the window, the princess turned towards her bed, and flopped down on the blankets. She held a pillow close to her chest and stared at the wall. Maybe if she fell asleep, she'd wake up and this would all be over.

Melaina closed her eyes, and pulled the pillow even closer to her.

After several minutes, she began nodding off, gradually loosening her grip on the pillow. The silence of her room was just what she needed.

The princess was jerked out of her almost asleep state by the rapping of knuckles against her door.

Melaina was petrified in her bed. Had the castles defenses fallen? She took several, ragged breaths and burrowed deeper into the mattress, clutching the pillow tighter than before.

Not long after, three more raps pierced the silence.

The princess's eyes darted to her bedside table. On it, was an ornate brass candlestick holder, with a tall, white, half-burnt candle in it. Regaining some of her composure, she sat up. There was no way she was going down without a fight. Making no noise, she slid to the edge of the bed, and grabbed the candle. She took the candlestick out of the holder and gently laid it on the bed. Grasping the candlestick holder like it was her lifeline, she inched towards the door, ready to swing at whatever came through it.

The person on the other side knocked once more. " _Princess."_

Melaina froze, her muscles tense.

"Princess, are you awake?"

Realization dawned on her. She set her weapon of choice back down on the bedside table and walked to the door, opening it just enough to peak her head through.

On the other side stood one of her knight escorts. The tension spread throughout her body disappeared at the sight of him. "Sir Merrick," she said with both relief and curiosity in her voice, "what are you doing outside your room?"

"Milady," he said with a slight bow, "His highness sent me to check on you."

 _His highness?_ Thought Melaina. _Why didn't Uncle come check on me himself?_

"Well as you can see, I'm perfectly fine," she said with a smile. "Goodnight."

Melaina took a step back and moved to close the door. But before she could, Sir Merrick put his arm up, preventing her from doing so. The princess sent him a look, and ever-so-slightly tilted her head.

"His highness also asked that I escort you to him."

As much as she wanted to, the princess refrained from rolling her eye, sighing deeply instead to show her displeasure. "I am sorry, Sir Merrick, but it is night. Do you know what I do during this time?"

Merrick shook his head. "No, milady."

"I _sleep,_ " she answered, "which is what I was doing before you came and knocked on my door."

"Yes, princess, I understand. I'm sorry for waking you, but his highness said I was to bring you to him."

Melaina raised an eyebrow. Her uncle knew she needed her sleep. Otherwise, she'd be in a terrible mood come morning, which wouldn't be good, considering the fact they still had to finish the treaty. Her uncle would also come and see her himself if he needed something. Something here wasn't adding up.

The knight looked down to the floor. "Please," he said, his tone sincere, "It won't be but a moment."

" _Goodnight,_ " said Melania forcefully, as she pushed his arm out of the way and closed the door.

 _What is wrong with people?_ she wondered as she turned to walk back to her bed.

Behind her, the door swung open and Merrick stepped in.

Melaina looked at him, appalled. "Sir Knight!" she exclaimed. "Just _what_ do you think you are doing?"

"You are coming with me," he said as he grabbed her arm.

The princess pulled away from his grasp, her sleeve tearing off in the process.

Sir Merrick glanced at the silky fabric in his hands before looking back at Melania.

"Why could you not have come quietly?" he asked, clearly irritated.

He reached out again, grabbing her now bare arm, and pulled her close. He wadded up the sleeve in his hand, and shoved in into her mouth, silencing any protests or cries of help. Grabbing her shoulders from behind, Merrick steered her out of the room and into the hall.

"You are coming with me, to see his highness." He aggressively stated.

* * *

The reinforcements came out of nowhere. Arthur and his men had pushed the mercenaries back, forcing them out of the city. Things were going well. That is, until the small force had been pushed back to the tree line of the forest. Out of the foliage charged more of those brutes, and they were blood thirsty.

Currently, Arthur was caught up in a one-on-one sword fight with a tall, ratty looking man. The young king parried blow after blow. He sidestepped and aimed for his opponent's midsection, only to have his sword blocked.

With a flick of the wrist, Arthur slid his weapon down the blade of the mercenary's, twisting his arm just right so that the man was forced to drop his blade. Arthur kicked it out of his reach, promptly thrusting his razor-sharp sword through his opponent's chest.

The man fell lifelessly to the ground. Another mercenary stepped forward to take his fallen comrade's place. Arthur engaged him, quickly disposing of him as well.

"Sire!"

The young king looked up to see Leon. The First Knight stood side by side with Arthur as they both took on another man.

"Sire, I advise that we fall back to the city gates," said Leon in between blows. Arthur's opponent fell to his knees, having had his guts sliced open. Arthur kicked him square in the chest, causing him to fall backwards dead. At the same time, Leon bested his opponent.

"I agree," said Arthur, wiping the sweat off his brow. "TO THE GATES, FALL BACK!" he yelled, motioning towards the lower town with his sword.

"FALL BACK!" Leon echoed.

Slowly, Camelot's forces backtracked to the gates, the mercenaries hot on their heels. Archers fired, taking down the front lines of the enemy's army, but more stepped forward, constantly replenishing the front rank.

"These seem very organized for a small army of mercenaries," commented Leon as the wooden gates were forced shut. The knight stood directly to the right of his king.

Arthur nodded, his face serious. "I noticed the same thing. We need to push them back. They were almost all disposed of until that fresh wave of men ran out of the forest."

"And these reinforcements seem to have more skill in battle," noted Leon.

"But our men are strong. They can hold," said Arthur as he looked around. Although dozens had been carted off to the infirmary, he still had the majority of his men. They looked winded, but the blonde knew they were far from tired. His archers were still firing from over the wooden gate. Unfortunately, several had been shot down already.

"That gate won't hold long," commented Arthur. He turned to Leon. "We have two other gates, two other walls between here and the castle. My hope is that we will not need them. We need to make our stand here, and keep it for as long as possible before we need to fall back to the second wall."

Leon nodded. This wasn't his first time fighting for Camelot.

As if on cue the wooden gate shuddered. Arthur turned to face it. "FORM UP!" he bellowed.

Instantly, his men jumped into action, forming in lines behind Arthur. Percival walked over and stood to the king's left, and as always, Leon was to his right.

"When they break through," Arthur began to instruct, just loud enough for Leon and Percival to hear him, "we charge."

The two knights nodded.

The gate shook again. This time, cracks began forming in it.

"ON MY CUE!" the young king yelled, his sword gripped tightly in his hands.

With a loud _CRASH,_ the wooden gate was reduced to splinters. Arthur charged forward, his men following right behind him. "FOR CAMELOT!"

* * *

The halls were quiet. The sound from the battle could faintly be heard whenever Merlin passed by a window. Ever since Elyan had left to go fight, the feeling of unease in the warlock's gut had been increasing. He hadn't returned to the infirmary as he should have. Gaius needed his help, Merlin knew that.

But there was something else the young man needed to put his efforts towards, so he walked the halls and corridors, making his way towards the noble's wing, hoping to find out what exactly that was.

All was silent now; he could no longer hear the noise from the battle. Strangely enough, only a few torches had been lit in the corridor he was now in. It made everything that much more ominous, casting dark shadows all over the walls.

Merlin stopped. He closed his eyes and put his head back, releasing his magic around him, trying to figure out what he was looking for. He knew it was there, he could _feel_ it in his bones.

The only thing he sensed was two people moving his way, both of whom were vaguely familiar. Not wanting to be discovered, he ducked into a servant's passage, the shadows offered him enough cover, so the only way anyone would see him would be if they looked directly at him, which was very unlikely.

The two people turned the corner. From what Merlin could see, one was a man, the other a young lady.

"Come. Keep moving," the man hissed.

Clearly, the girl was struggling against him. In the dim light, the manservant could see her pushing against him, and he could hear her shuffling her feet. Small grunts of protest escaped her lips.

"I said, COME." And with that, the man tugged on her arm, pulling her several feet forward.

Merlin could not believe the scene he was witnessing. _What is going on?_ he wondered, flabbergasted. _Who are they?_

The lady fell to the ground, and attempted to scramble around his legs and go back the other direction.

"Stop. Being. Difficult!" the man said, anger rising in his voice. He bent down and picked her up with ease, tossing her across his shoulder.

"No!" she protested. "Put me down! I demand that you let _go_ of me!"

The pair passed by a torch, allowing Merlin to get a better glimpse at them. The man wore Navennan armor. The warlock recognized him as one of the knight's in the visiting delegation, and immediately was concerned.

What concerned him even more, though, was that the lady across his shoulder was Princess Melaina.

"What?" Merlin breathed pressing a hand against the stone wall to brace himself, stunned by this turn of events. Did his father know what was going on? The manservant doubted it. After all, Balinor looked after Melaina like she was his own, he would never allow her to be treated in such a way. In fact, the visiting prince would forbid any of the men he commanded from treating any woman with such disrespect.

The knight stared straight ahead as he passed by the servant's passageway, but Melaina glanced down it, her gaze landing on Merlin.

The two locked eyes. The princess mouthed the word ' _help',_ her eyes pleading for Merlin to do something. _Anything._

Merlin nodded, answering her plea. He slipped out of the passageway and following quietly at a safe distance behind the knight. Wherever that man was taking the princess, _that_ was where Merlin needed to go. He kept his magic at the ready, bubbling beneath the surface just waiting to be released.

The manservant did a mental run-through of the rooms in the hall. Most were guest quarters, with a few of the knight's chambers at the very end, along with an old meeting room that hadn't been used since before Merlin came to Camelot. Where was this knight taking Melaina? There was no way to escape the castle in the direction he was headed.

Eventually, the knight halted outside… of the old meeting room? More surprisingly, he knocked on the door three times, and then entered, the princess shooting a desperate look back at Merlin as she disappeared into the room.

Merlin quickly covered the remaining distance to the door. Luckily, the door hadn't latched. Merlin gently pushed, opening it a little more than an inch and crouched down, pressing his body against the door frame. There was just one other person inside, a man Merlin had never seen before.

 _How did he get in here?_ wondered the young warlock.

The knight set Melaina down and bowed to the man. "The princess, as you requested."

"It took you long enough," commented the man, clearly displeased. Melaina visibly tensed as he spoke.

The knight looked at the floor. "My apologies. She resisted coming."

Merlin wished that a torch had been lit in the room. The only source of light was the moonbeams that filtered in through two incredibly dusty windows. He couldn't get a good look at the man's face, and both Melaina and the knight had their backs to him.

The man clicked his tongue in displeasure. "I know I raised my daughter to behave better than that."

Merlin's breath caught in his throat. _Goddess above…_ he gasped mentally, _It can't be._

"Father," Melaina began in a shaky voice, "what's going on? Why are you here?"

The manservant's eyes were as wide as saucers. The man in the room was Kaeden Ambrosius. This was not good. Did Balinor know about this? _Of course, he doesn't,_ Merlin concluded, _he would have warned me otherwise._

"All in good time," he responded. "Now, are you ready to cooperate?"

The princess's dark hair bounced up and down as she slowly nodded.

"Good," said Kaeden, King of Navenna. "Because you are going to kill the Queen of Camelot."

Melaina gasped. "I can't possi…" she started to protest.

"No. You can. And you will." Said Kaeden, cutting her off with his sharp tone. "If the rumors are true, she doesn't belong on a throne anyway- not a drop of royal in her blood." Melaina didn't respond. The king spoke again, "It is an easy task. She is in the infirmary tending to the wounded. There is so much confusion and chaos in there, nobody will realize it's happening. I would do it myself, but I cannot just walk in there. You, my daughter, can."

 _How does he know all this?_ Merlin silently questioned, realizing there was more to this murder plot than met the eye. His heart hammered in his chest.

The princess held her silence. Her father took a step towards her. "Do you want to prove your worth to me? This is how. Show me you are capable of completing a basic task. I will give you one hour to do so."

Melaina responded, but it was so quiet, Merlin couldn't hear it.

"Speak up, girl," barked Kaeden.

"No." said Melaina.

"No?" questioned Kaeden, his tone dangerous.

"No," the princess repeated, her voice wavering, "I will not kill Queen Guinevere."

"You dare defy my…" Kaeden paused midsentence. "Who is that!?" he demanded, pointing strait at the gap in the door.

A sense of dread swept over Merlin as the knight went to pull the door open all the way. Merlin scrambled to stand up, taking several steps backwards.

The door tore open. The three people inside the room stared at him.

"Who is he?" Kaeden questioned forcefully.

"A servant," answered the knight.

Merlin did the most sensible thing he could think of. He ran as fast as his legs would go.

"CATCH HIM!" yelled the king, his voice echoing down the empty hall.

The knight tore out of the room and after the manservant, but there was no way he was going to catch him. Merlin had the home turf advantage.

The manservant dove into various servant's passageways, making the knight chase him through the maze that was Camelot's halls. A few whispered words caused the man to trip. And, to top it all off, Merlin ducked into an alcove, waiting for the knight to sprint by before heading back in the opposite direction.

With haste, he made his way back to the infirmary. Gaius was near the door when he walked in.

"Ah, Merlin! It's about time you showed back up," said the old man in greeting.

His apprentice pulled him to the side, keeping a good distance between them and the nearest patient. "Is there any way to get these people to a safer place?" asked Merlin in an urgent whisper.

Gaius gave him a worried look. "Not that I know of."

The warlock mentally cursed. "Then you need to get ready to bar the doors."

"Merlin? What on earth is…"

"There's no time to explain, Gaius, just trust me. But make sure the people in here stay calm. In fact, it would be best if they don't know anything is out of the ordinary."

The old man nodded, still not sure at what was happening.

"Thank you," said Merlin. He took a step back and scanned the room. There were so many more injured men. Several servants and Gwen tended to them. And so did Hunith.

 _His mother._

"Gaius," said Merlin, pulling the old man towards him again. "Keep my mother safe. Promise me she will stay safe." The feeling in his gut was back.

The physician nodded once. "I promise. She is my niece, you know. I'll look after her."

Merlin swallowed. "Thank you."

With that, the manservant left the infirmary, one last destination in mind.

He had to go get Balinor. He had to alert his father about what was happening.

* * *

 **A/N: This was a fun one to write. It'd been so long since I visited this story, I had to go back and reread the whole thing, just to make sure my thought process was still on. I hope it was a decent chapter! It's been so long since I've wrote for fun…. I just hope it didn't sound as rusty as I felt when I began typing it.**

 **Please review! Tell me what you think of this chapter, your guesses of what will happen next, or even just to say you are still interested in this story.**

 **And thank you to everyone who still is!**


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